


Milestones

by Syreene



Series: Doctors Make the Worst Patients [3]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/M, continuity, doctor who - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-24
Updated: 2014-01-23
Packaged: 2018-01-09 20:18:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1150368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syreene/pseuds/Syreene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Has it really been that long already? The Doctor surprises Martha with a gift fitting for a new doctor...and during the trial run they run into an old enemy...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The rhythmic thumping of Martha’s feet rang out through the TARDIS hallways, but for once it wasn’t because of an emergency; she was on her morning jog. She and the Doctor had been running enough in their adventures she figured that starting some conditioning training probably wouldn’t hurt. Her ponytail bobbed to the beat of her feet as sweat dripped down her face, and finally she pulled up to lean her arm against the wall and take her pulse. 

So far so good, Doctor Jones. If anything is going to be the end of me with the Doctor, it’s not going to be a heart attack from all the running.

She looked up to notice which part of the TARDIS she had stopped in and saw that the kitchen was right down the hall. “You’re a peach!” she said with a smile as she patted the wall, a cold bottle of water being exactly what was on her mind.

As Martha strolled into the kitchen she was brought up short by the Doctor’s rear-end sticking out of the cupboard on the floor near the fridge. She could hear faint mutterings coming from the cupboard as he rifled through its contents.

“This is what I get for having endless cupboards too…” 

Martha gnawed her lip as she leaned against the counter next to him and appreciated the Doctor’s love of tightly tailored suits. She smiled and crossed her arms as she asked, “Having trouble?”

She heard a muffled ~thump~ and then what she thought must have been swearing in an alien language before the Doctor replied, “I’m too old for unnecessary shocks to my system, Doctor Jones.”

“And how old would that be?” She questioned as she leaned over him, trying desperately not to giggle.

The Doctor backed out of the cupboard and rubbed the back of his head as he sat down on the floor, a pair of jewelers’ glasses falling from his hair to rest precariously on his nose. “I’m a rather stately 923, I’ll have you know,” He answered with a mock offended expression on his face as he pushed the glasses up with his long fingers, “And I still haven’t had a Companion who respected their elders,” he muttered to himself.

“923…so lightning strikes are still good, but head thumps are out?” Martha said with a barely contained smirk as she offered a hand to pull him up. “If it helps, you look incredibly good for your age.”

“Plastic surgeons, eat your heart out!” the Doctor replied with a smile and a wink as Martha reached into the fridge for a bottle of water.

“So…what were you looking for, anyway?” she asked before she leaned against the fridge and took a long drink from her bottle.

 

 

“Hmmn?” the Doctor answered after a few seconds, his eyes lingering on the sweat dripping down Martha’s neck and pooling at the base of her throat. “Oh…tea, actually. I’ve been working on this project and I needed a break, so I remembered this tea that I once received as a gift from the British Raj when I helped them with a particular problem back in the 1920s.” He scanned the kitchen again and started looking through the items on the counter. “Delicious blend of oranges and cloves…good for the thought processes, it is…”

“Project, eh?” Martha asked with a raised brow, her hand on her hip and the water bottle dangling between her fingers.

As if suddenly realizing his slip of the tongue, the Doctor’s eyes widened before he said, “Oh…it’s nothing much, really…just working on a back-up for my sonic screwdriver after the last one got fried at the Royal Hope.” 

“Uh-huh…” Martha said, just knowing he was hiding something. “Lucky for you, a shower sounds a lot nicer than finding out what you’re hiding right now, so you’ve got a head start,” she said as she tapped her bottle against his chest.

“As much as I appreciate the warning, Martha,” the Doctor said innocently as he sidled towards the doorway, “I have no idea why you would think I’d be hiding something from you.” He took a few steps more and as he reached the doorway he nervously tapped his fingers against it. “So…um…” he ran his fingers through his hair and Martha couldn’t help but smile, as the ‘mad scientist’ look was just so him. 

 

“Off to finish up your project before I come see, yeah?” Martha prompted.

“Um…yeah!” he quickly took a step back into the hallway and took off down it.

Martha shook her head with a smile as she reached up on her toes and pulled down the tea in question that the Doctor had been looking for from the top of the fridge. He must really be preoccupied…we were drinking this last week. She leaned against the doorway with the tea held in her outstretched hand, and a few seconds later the Doctor’s hand reached out to grab it with a quick “Thanks!” before he was off down the hall again.

Martha finally lost it and laughed out loud before she walked in the other direction towards the shower.

~~~

A half-hour later Martha was feeling refreshed with a baby blue tank-top and black jeans, her hair held back by a matching headband.. She strolled towards the Doctor’s workroom, knowing she was headed the right way as she could hear the echo of clanking of metal and drawers being slammed shut down the hall. With a smile she leaned into the doorway with a ~knock-knock~ on the wall. 

The Doctor quickly stuffed the last of his tools in one of his multitude of drawers in his workroom and turned around to face Martha, his hands hidden behind his back. “Ah!” he said in surprise, “I see now that the previous record for Companions to take long showers no longer holds true!”

“We’ve always got to find ways to keep you on your toes,” Martha agreed with a laugh as she imitated his stance with her hands behind her back. “So…are you going to give, or are you going to make this hard on yourself?” The Doctor didn’t reply at first, just merely tilted his head up slightly in thought.

“Doctor?” Martha prompted.

“I’m still trying to decide…” he replied as he scratched his chin. Martha went up to him and teasingly thumped him in the shoulder. 

“Oi…humans always getting physical…” he said with a cheeky grin as he backed away from Martha.

“Oh you…” Martha flared her fingers out in front of her with a dangerous look on her face as she slowly walked towards the Doctor, “Don’t make me use these…I’ve got years of tickling experience being an older sister with two siblings.” 

The Doctor’s eyes flared in alarm for a second before he quickly said, “Okay, okay, okay…I give. Do you know what day it is today, Martha Jones?”

Martha pulled up short and bit her lip as she thought about it. The days seemed to flow together with the Doctor, so keeping a calendar seemed kind of pointless after awhile. “Um…Thursday?” 

The Doctor rocked back and forth on his feet with a wide grin on his face. “Today, Doctor Martha Jones, is our 6 month anniversary!”

Martha was struck speechless and dropped her hands to her sides. “No…couldn’t be…has it really been that long? It feels like last week we were just…” 

“Indeed it has, though I can understand why it might not seem that way. Time can be so…”

“Wibbly-wobbly?” Martha answered with a smile.

The Doctor laughed and nodded in agreement. “Aptly put, Doctor Jones. 6 months ago effective time, I met a doctor in training at the Royal Hope, and now I have a very able doctor as a companion who I feel deserves some suitable accoutrements.” He brought his hands in front of him to reveal a small rectangular box with a blue ribbon tied around it. His smile softened as he handed it to her and said, “Happy anniversary, Martha.”

Martha took the small box and held it in front of her. She looked down at it and ran her fingers over the blue ribbon before she looked up at the Doctor. “But…I didn’t get you anything…I didn’t even know…”

“Oh pshaw, Martha.” The Doctor said reassuringly as he placed an arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side. “Do I need to go over everything you’ve done for me?”

Martha blushed slightly and shook her head. 

“Now go on…open your present!” 

Martha pulled the ribbon carefully off the box and opened it eagerly. Inside in a layer of tissue paper she could see a long cylindrical object with small buttons, an LED screen, and various knobs. As comprehension dawned on her she gasped. “Is this…”

“I thought about it, and it seemed rather fitting, didn’t it? I mean…here you are a doctor and all…” the Doctor pulled at his ear with his other hand, “shouldn’t you have your own screwdriver?”


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh my God!” exclaimed Martha in delight as she bounced up and down. “I can’t believe it!”

“Believe it, Martha,” the Doctor said as he sidled up behind her to give her a hug, his hands wrapping around her waist and his cheek brushing against hers gently. 

You deserve so much…

A shiver ran down her spine as Martha could feel his words. She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned into his embrace, her hands resting on his. 

Same goes for you, mister…

Martha could feel the Doctor’s body tense around her before his reply touched her mind.

No…it doesn’t.

She turned around in concern, but it was already too late; the Doctor’s manic mask of cheer was already in place. He stuffed one hand in his pocket and pointed at the box still in her hands with the other. “So…don’t you want to know what yours does?”

Martha searched his eyes for a moment, but there was nothing there…the door had slammed down. She sighed in resignation, took the screwdriver out of the box and smiled slightly at the Doctor. “Of course I do….yeah.”

“Excellent! I’ve got the perfect place we can go!” The Doctor smiled at Martha and reached for her hand, his fingers weaving between hers as he tugged her gently down the hallway towards the console room.

 

“Now I tried to keep this one more ‘medically’ themed for you, other than the usual useful settings,” The Doctor explained as he danced around the console flipping switches and pulling levers. “There’s the door opener, code breaker, tea warmer, clothes de-wrinkler, stun gun, you know.” He waved his hand around as he pulled a monitor to him with the other. “Medically, there’s a scanner, alien database, chemical analyzer…what?” The Doctor looked up and saw that Martha could barely contain a laugh.

“It’s just…you made me a tri-corder! Leo’s going to be so jealous…he always loved Star Trek more than the rest of us.” Martha grinned until she saw the Doctor’s confusion. “Star Trek? Old space show about how humans worked with aliens to explore the Universe and fight the bad guys? Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, all that…”

“What a concept, eh?” The Doctor replied with a wink at Martha. “Still though...Spock, huh?” The Doctor frowned slightly as he remembered, “There was a time when I was accused of not being ‘Spock’ enough.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about it,” Martha reassured him as she joined him by the console. “So you don’t like to use as many fancy gadgets…you just prefer the personal touch.”

“Can I help it if I’m brilliant enough not to need them?” he said with a cheeky smile.

The landing warnings of the TARDIS rang out in the console room, and Martha quickly moved to brace herself against the console. She’d bruised her rear-end enough with the Doctor’s ‘smooth landings.’

“So let’s take a look, shall we?” said the Doctor as he flipped a switch and glanced at the monitor to see where they had materialized. “Ah yes…perfect!” 

When Martha felt it was safe she let go and grabbed her jacket as she walked towards the doors. “So…where are we then? Is it okay to open the doors?”

“Oh yeah…of course!” The Doctor reassured her as he grabbed his coat and joined Martha. He opened one of the doors and leaned out to a sunny day full of busy noises and a multitude of smells. “Doctor Martha Jones, I give you Pakha, the center for tourism and trade of the Galactic Federation!”

 

The Doctor stepped out, his hands in his pockets as he took in the scenery around him. Martha followed and looked around eagerly. Everywhere she looked she saw various multi-colored stalls with all kinds of wares, from clothes and strange devices to what she assumed was foodstuffs. Creatures of all sorts were moving up and down the rows of stalls and Martha’s mind boggled, not knowing where to begin with her questions.

The TARDIS had parked itself discretely at the end of a row of stalls, and the Doctor locked it securely with his key before putting it inside his suit pocket and turning to Martha, his hand outstretched. “Shall we, Doctor Jones?”

Martha placed her hand in his with a grin of anticipation. “We shall, Doctor Smith!”

They strolled down the rows until the Doctor’s attention was grabbed by a stall full of different crystals. Martha muttered to herself as she looked around, “So…the Federation, huh?”

“Hmmn? Excuse me?” he said as he looked up from a tray full of softly glowing blue stones.

Martha laughed and replied, “Oh…nothing…I was just wondering if they had any Dilythium Crystals for sale.” 

The Doctor’s brow furrowed in thought as he rubbed the back of his neck, and Martha pulled his hand down gently as she said, “Inside joke…sorry.” The Doctor gave her a wry look as Martha continued, “So…as much as I like to shop…I thought we came here to test out the screwdriver?” 

“Indeed we did…indeed we did! What better place to test out a scanner and alien database than a major interspecies hub? That…and I figured it couldn’t hurt to get a bite of lunch, either,” he concluded with a grin as he took Martha’s hand in his again and they walked down the row. 

After some time spent shopping they came to what looked like the main plaza. A giant fountain that reminded Martha of a large turning paddlewheel stood in the middle of the area, with tables and chairs set all around it. She gladly took a seat to rest her feet as the Doctor walked over to some food stalls. 

“Something sweet that isn’t moving anymore preferably,” Martha called out as she examined her new sonic screwdriver.

She took a look at her new present and saw that there seemed to be a set of primary buttons along the side of the narrow LED display. Making sure it was pointed at the ground, she pressed the first button and winced reflexively. When nothing horrible happened after a few seconds, she took a look at the display which read: Scanner ID - READY. Taking a chance, she waved it at herself. When she looked at the display again, it read: Homo Sapiens, Female – Sol-3. To access full description, press SCAN again.

Cool! Okay…who’s first?

Eager to try again, Martha waved the screwdriver discretely at a group of relatively humanoid creatures who were talking excitedly amongst themselves. They seemed to be going on and on about the shops and how much they loved coming here during the week of the coronation ceremony, as it was always a great party. Navarino, Male – Navarro. She pressed the button again, and it went on to tell her of the Navarino’s penchant for tourism and their love of every place but their own.

Before she could decide who to scan next, the Doctor returned with two trays filled with food and drinks. He set one in front of her and pointed to a neon blue drink. “26th century’s version of Gatorade, I believe…and,” he pointed to a dish full of what looked like crusted miniature crullers to Martha, “breaded leichies. They assured me they stopped moving this morning.” He finished with a wink as he took a long sip of his drink and sat down.

Martha shrugged her shoulders and took a bite into the crunchy dessert. “When in Pakha…”

The Doctor looked around the plaza and took in the multitude of decorations, from streamers to multi-colored pinwheels spinning in the breeze. “It looks like they’re gearing up for a party, eh?”

“Oh yeah, I heard some people talking about a coronation ceremony this week?” Martha informed him as she set her drink down on the table. 

As if on cue, a large screen on top of one of the sturdier buildings in the plaza lit up to announce a news broadcast to the community. After the station identification for GFTV faded, Martha could see a creature that looked like (she was embarrassed to admit) the pet hamster she had when she was a child…though about her height with longer arms. “That’s a Pakhar?” Martha asked the Doctor quietly.

“Oh, yeah…didn’t I tell you? Race of hamster people, pretty much. Really nice…but quite skittish sometimes.” The Doctor answered with a sideways glance at Martha. He looked back at the screen and exclaimed with a smile, “Hey, Keri! I know her! Good to see she’s still doing what she loves.” 

Martha returned her attention to the reporter on the screen.

Good afternoon, Pakhar, this is Ker'a'nol for GFTV, bringing you the latest news regarding the event everyone’s been waiting for this week, the coronation of our new King, Vor’na’rok! (applause) The latest buzz of course has been about the long lost crown of the Pakhar people that was discovered by an archaeologists’ group from Peladon last month. As a tribute to our people’s history and in celebration of our lasting peace, our king-to-be has decided that his coronation will use this amazing piece of history.

As Ker’a’nol waved a hand behind her and walked up to a pedestal guarded by four Pakhar guards in plated armor with spears, the Doctor focused on the screen intently. “No…it can’t be…” he whispered to himself. 

“What is it, Doctor?” Martha asked, noticing his change of mood. She gazed at the screen as it focused on an old and battered looking crystal tiara with a stone in the middle swirling with color.

The Doctor’s eyes widened in shock and he froze, his drink slipping out of his hand to spill into the cracks of the stones at his feet. 

“The Diadem…”

~~~

“No, no, no, no…this just won’t do, will it?” The Doctor muttered as he suddenly stood up and started patting down his pockets with one hand as he ran the other through his hair, leaving spiky trails in its wake.

“What’s going on, Doctor? What’s the Diadem?” Martha asked as she pocketed her screwdriver and stood up next to him. So much for a peaceful day…should’ve known it wouldn’t last long. “Is it that stone, or the crown itself?” 

The Doctor started walking as he talked more to himself than anything, and Martha almost had to jog to keep up with his long stride. “I should’ve known…should’ve trusted my instincts, but no…I had to leave and trust everything would work out.” He turned to Martha and said, “Let that be a lesson, Martha: Always trust your instincts, and follow things through till the end. If you want something to work out right, you’ve got to make sure it happens yourself.” 

Martha smiled knowingly and nodded, but she was thinking of something else. Reason #1 on why I came back, Doctor…

The Doctor continued talking to himself and Martha shook herself from her thoughts to refocus on the Doctor, unfortunately missing the brief smile that passed his lips.

“I went through all that trouble …saved their planet three different times…3 times, Martha, nearly getting myself killed every time I might add, and now here they are again, doing the same damn thing only on another planet!” 

Frustrated at trying to dodge through the people shopping and keeping up with the Doctor’s fast pace, Martha stopped suddenly and said loudly, “DOCTOR!”

As if finally realizing what he was doing, the Doctor turned back to see that he was leaving Martha behind. He quickly stopped, scanned where they were, and pulled Martha into a side lane where he found a secluded bench in an alcove where they could sit. He sat down and leaned forward, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. Martha quickly sat down beside him. 

“First things first, Doctor…what is the Diadem?”

The Doctor’s hand at his neck moved to pull at his ear. “Short version?”

“Please,” Martha said in relief.

“The Diadem is a crystal crown imbued with the soul of an evil maniac. When someone wears it, they become possessed by the mind within. Last time I was here my companions and I stopped the Diadem from being used to overthrow the Peladon people. They ended up totally revamping their culture after that, the Pakhar were at peace, and the Diadem disappeared when the mercenary who was possessed by it had his ship blown up. Keri, the news reporter, she helped me back then, so I really know something is up. There’s no way she would willingly be a part of the same scenario again.”

Martha sighed to herself and sat up straight, her hands on her knees. “Right. Okay then…so these archaeologists on Peladon find the Diadem that everyone thought was destroyed and give it to the Pakhar, whose king is going to put it on in less than a week, and we need to stop him so he doesn’t become possessed by an evil soul.” Thinking hard about their predicament, Martha missed the Doctor’s appreciative smile as he looked at her.

Martha scratched her chin as she continued thinking out loud. “Psychic paper or not, it’s not going to be easy to just stroll into the place and say ‘Hey there, just stopping in to borrow the crown for a mo.’” Her face brightened as an idea came to her and Martha smiled. “Wait a minute…you said you knew the reporter, right?”

The Doctor’s grin grew as he stood up. “Yes I did, Martha Jones, which is why we are going to try and find her. “ 

Martha stood beside him and linked her hand with his. “Where to first?”

The Doctor started walking and glanced up and down the streets till he finally seemed to see what he wanted. “How would you like your next lesson with your screwdriver?” he asked with a grin as they came up to what looked like a digital public information kiosk.

“I’m game,” Martha said as she took her screwdriver out of her jacket pocket. “What do I need to do?”

“First we type in her name in the search engine, Ker'a'nol, then we click ‘Search’ and we get the basic info, right?” The Doctor explained, his fingers whizzing over the touchpad. “Then you take your screwdriver there and use setting 7337, pointing it at the screen. This one is your ‘hacker’ function, basically. “ 

 

“Okay, got it, setting 7337.” Martha pushed a few buttons on her screwdriver and pointed it at the kiosk, a soft ‘whir’ and white glow emanating from the end of the device. The kiosk screen began to flash with information scrolling quickly down the page.

“Voila!” The Doctor ran his finger down the screen till he found the reporter’s address. He then typed it into the map function of the kiosk, and a few seconds later he knew exactly where to go. “It’s just a few blocks from here, fortunately.” He nodded his head in the direction they needed to go. “Shall we?”

“No rest for the wicked,” she said with a smile as they walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

They made their way down the streets till eventually they came to a pale peach stucco styled house with a beautiful outdoor patio with columns and archways on each side. The Doctor walked nonchalantly up the path to the door and knocked on it, one hand in his coat pocket. 

“E’llo?” –knock-knock-knock- “Keri?” The Doctor waited for a few moments, and when no one answered the door he looked around to see if anyone was within sight and motioned Martha to him.

“Lesson #2?” he asked her as he nodded to the locked door. Martha nodded, and he whispered, “Setting 13.” 

Martha quickly entered the setting and pointed it at the door. A few seconds later, a soft ‘click’ signaled their success. The Doctor cracked open the door and peeked in. When nothing happened, he opened it wider and slipped through it. Martha looked around to make sure no one was watching and soon followed.

Inside was a tastefully decorated living room with the usual furnishings. As the Doctor explored the other rooms to make sure no one was there, Martha couldn’t help but notice the photographs framed on the wall. One in particular caught her attention, as it was Keri, two human women one more Martha’s age and one younger, and a short older man in a sweater and tweed jacket, with rather loud checkered pants and a straw hat. He had an umbrella in his hand with the handle shaped like a question mark, and he was tapping it against his hat in salute when the picture was taken. Martha trailed her finger gently over the photo. No…it couldn’t be…

“Afraid the excellent fashion sense I have now took a few hundred years to mature,” the Doctor said from behind Martha as he stretched his hand over her shoulder to touch the picture, his hand brushing hers. “That rather tough looking girl there is Ace, wicked wielder of baseball bats and inventor of some of the most volatile explosives you’ll ever come across,” he said as he pointed to the girl in the leather jacket with sunglasses and a ponytail. “This is Professor Bernice Summerfield, a rather intelligent archaeologist who has since gone on to lead her own adventures, I’m sure.” The Doctor pointed to the older woman with short black hair and a notebook in her hands. “Nostalgia will have to wait, however…as we have more pressing business, eh?”

“Right,” Martha said with chagrin. “Sorry…” She stepped through an archway into the next room and started searching for clues. She looked under a slightly raised bookcase, and noticed a thin and flat silver object. “Bingo…” she whispered as she pulled out the laptop computer. “I think I found something,” Martha called out to the Doctor in the other room, but his attention was focused on the turning doorknob of the front door. 

The Doctor quickly waved at Martha to hide. She grabbed the laptop and plastered herself against the wall out of visual range of the archway. She held her breath as the door suddenly opened.

“By the Great Wheel, what do you think you’re doing in my home?” exclaimed the rather surprised looking copper colored Pakhar.

The Doctor smiled as he tapped the photo he and Martha were looking at earlier. “I seem to recall that the last time we spoke, Keri, you told me I should drop in whenever I’m in the area. Unfortunately it seems that we still have unfinished business to take care of.”

Keri glanced at the Doctor and then the photo…and then back at him. “Don’t be ridiculous…you can’t be him!”

“Can so be, “ the Doctor replied as he rocked back on his feet. “Years ago you and your friends discovered the whereabouts of a rather ancient and quite evil piece of jewelry that mercenaries tried to use to disrupt the Peladonian government, which Bernie, Ace and I managed to stop, and now I come back to find that you’re paving the way for it to happen all over again!” The Doctor’s frustration was reflected in his tone by the time he finished, his eyes flaring in anger.

Keri walked past him as she shook her head and set her keys on the counter. She braced her hands on the counter and inhaled the sweet scent of the bouquet of flowers that were sent to her by a fan this morning, hoping to straighten out her thoughts. The Doctor…he’s back…after all this time…finally…

The Doctor ran his hand through his hair before he turned around to face Keri, so he missed seeing Keri grab her head with one hand as she reached into her pocket with the other. “Your people are in a lot of danger, Keri. That crown that everyone believes is some great artifact is nothing more than the prison for an evil maniac who wants to take control of your King. We have to—“

With a scream, Keri suddenly leaped at the Doctor, catching him by surprise as she pulled her hand out of her pocket to reveal a jagged shard of stone. The force of her attack knocked the Doctor onto the floor, and it took all he had to keep the shard in her hand away from him.  
Martha leapt from her hiding place and maneuvered her way around the struggling duo to grab the heavy vase of flowers on the counter. She slammed it into the back of Keri’s head with a solid crash, but unfortunately it only made Keri pause for a moment and shake her head.

“We have to make the Doctor ours,” Keri hissed in a guttural voice that no longer sounded like her own. “Ours or dead! Ours or dead!” The Doctor had his hands on her arms to keep the shard from reaching him, when suddenly Keri growled and reared forward with her sharp teeth towards his throat!

The Doctor managed to duck his head to the side, just managing to avoid her bite. He could feel her hot breath in his ear, and the thought of them being stuck in some corrupted lovers embrace made him sneer in disgust. “Martha!” he yelled out between gulps of breath as he struggled with the possessed Pakhar. “Setting 42!”

Martha quickly dropped the remains of the vase she’d been holding and nervously fumbled for her screwdriver in her pocket. She didn’t have time to think what the Doctor was asking her to do…she just punched in the setting with a quick whispered prayer and pressed the button as she pointed it at the rabid reporter.

~~~

A soft whine of noise and a white light emanated from the screwdriver in Martha's trembling hands and connected with the back of the Pakhar reporter attacking the Doctor. The Pakhar's body quickly seized up and her eyes rolled into her head before she went limp and fell unconscious onto the Doctor. 

"A little help here…" the Doctor called out in between attempts to spit the Pakhar's fur out of his mouth. 

Martha pocketed her screwdriver and did her best to roll Keri off the Doctor to lie beside him. The Doctor took a welcome deep breath as he sat up and muttered, "Well THAT was unexpected." 

"And here I thought that was your field of expertise," Martha said with a grateful smile when she saw that he was okay. She knelt down next to Keri to examine her and sighed in relief when she saw that the reporter was sleeping. "Care to tell me what I just shot her with?" she asked the Doctor with a raised eyebrow. 

"I included a stunning function on your screwdriver," the Doctor said as he ran his hand through his hair. "I don't like hurting people any more than you do, but I figured sometimes you might need some extra help to get others to stop." Martha's other eyebrow raised to join the first as she continued to look at him. "Besides…" the Doctor muttered into his hand, suddenly having a hard time looking Martha in the face, "I need you to be safe." 

Martha smiled with pleasure at the Doctor's confession and let him off the hook by continuing her inspection of the sleeping reporter. As she checked to make sure the vase she’d hit Keri with hadn’t left any cuts on the back of her head, she noticed what looked like a black piece of stone sticking out at the base of her neck. "Now what's this?" 

Intrigued and grateful that Martha's previous line of questioning had changed, the Doctor leaned over the sleeping Pakhar and pulled out his glasses to see what Martha had found. "Hmmn…" the Doctor muttered, then reached over to Keri's hand still clutching the black shard of stone that she'd threatened the Doctor with. "It looks like Keri was trying to do to me what someone has already done to her." The Doctor reached out to take the shard from Keri's hand, but when his fingers touched it he suddenly reared back in shock. 

"What is it, Doctor?" Martha asked, her concern apparent on her face. "Did it burn you?"

"You might say that," he said as he shook out his hand. "Apparently our evil consciousness has decided that he wants a bigger apartment…so he's expanding with those shards." He took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the shard. "Yup…just crawling with psychic energy. I imagine that once you get stuck with one of these jobbies you have to fight to keep control of yourself." 

Martha's nose wrinkled slightly as she looked at the shard embedded in Keri. "Is it okay for me to take it out of her?" 

The Doctor tugged on his ear as he rested his other arm on his knee. "Afraid I don't know that one for sure…but I don't see what other choice we have right now unfortunately…we need her to help us, so we need to try and bring her old self back." He looked up at Martha. "Are you okay with this?" 

Martha thought for a moment and nodded. "Between you and me we should be able to help with any residual effects…better the chance of recovery than leaving her like this. Will it effect me like it did you if I touch it?" 

"Probably not, since you're not as telepathically inclined as I am." He reached into one of his many inside suit pockets and pulled out a silk handkerchief with a question mark tastefully embroidered in the corner and handed it to Martha. "Best to be safe though…I'd rather you not make contact with it with your bare skin." 

Martha wrapped the piece of silk around her hand and carefully grabbed the shard stuck in Keri's neck. It didn't want to come out, but Martha held on tight and pulled until it released itself with a squishy 'pop.' "Ugh," muttered Martha as she wrapped the shard in the handkerchief and set it down. "It looks like the wound might get infected if we don't take care of it." 

"Perfect opportunity for your next lesson, Doctor Jones," the Doctor said with a smile as he moved to kneel beside her. "I was rather proud of the medical additions I managed to add to your screwdriver." 

Martha's eyes lit up at the thought of learning about the medical applications. Anything that would help her perform medical care on the fly while with the Doctor would be a godsend. 

"First things first, to disinfect the wound we have Setting 20. When you need to seal a wound we have the laser suture on Setting 21, and if you need a laser scalpel we have Setting 22." 

Martha smiled. "What…no defibrillator?" She asked wryly. 

"Well…I tried," the Doctor said as he scratched his chin. "There was no real way to get it to work other than a last ditch move though, because it totally drains the charge for the screwdriver once you do it." 

Martha shook her head in amazement and proceeded to treat Keri's wound. The Doctor watched in admiration as after a few moments Martha was already sealing it closed. 

"Fantastic," Martha whispered as she ran her fingers over the now barely discernable wound.

"I'd have to agree with your diagnosis," The Doctor said as he gazed fondly at Martha. 

"Right…still not pompous then," Martha said with a smirk, unaware that she and the Doctor weren't talking about the same thing. 

The Doctor laughed, as he couldn't help but remember when he first introduced himself to Martha as a Time Lord. "Oh, not at all," he said with a grin. 

Keri shifted and began to groan as the stun finally wore off. "Mmmn…wha…what happened?" Her eyes fluttered open as she turned over and she put a hand to her forehead. 

"I'm afraid that explanation will require a much more comfy location," the Doctor replied. "Why don't we help you to the sofa first?" He nodded at Martha and they both helped Keri. 

When she was seated the Doctor took a deep breath and raised his hand to give what Martha was sure was going to be the long explanation of things. Martha quickly sat on the couch beside Keri and took her hand. "Short version?" 

Keri looked from the Doctor to Martha in confusion. "Please."

"My name is Martha, and this here is the Doctor. We're here to stop an evil being called the Diadem that's trapped in a crown from taking over your king-to-be. Apparently you've met the Doctor and this Diadem-thingie before, which is why we came to see you. You attacked the Doctor, however, because you were possessed by the Diadem, and we just helped free you from it." 

"Doctor?" Keri asked questioningly as she looked over Martha's head to the grinning man behind her. 

"New body and new friends, but it looks like the story is the same, Keri. Do tell me you didn't help these archaeologists find the Diadem again…" he rocked back and forth on his feet with his hands in his pockets. 

"Oh no," Keri said adamantly. "I had no idea, I swear. I thought it was destroyed the same as you, Doctor. I was sent to do a story on the archaeologists who were studying the Karsten Crevasse. They were looking for records of the ancient kingdoms of Peladon when the crown turned up with some unidentified bone fragments. They were so excited…they thought they had found the bones of one of their kings…" 

"More like an ill-fated mercenary," the Doctor muttered. 

Martha went to the kitchen to get Keri a glass of water. As she handed her the water she couldn't help but notice the smell of the flowers strewn about the room after she tried to hit Keri with the vase. I know that smell….

Keri took a drink of her water gratefully and continued, "They were all rather secretive and said they weren't going to show the media until they were sure of what they’d found. The next day they came out declaring that the crown they'd found was an ancient king of Pakha of all things. Of course I was curious, so I investigated as reporters are wont to do…" 

The Doctor smiled to himself as thoughts of another intrepid investigative reporter came to his mind. 

"Once I broke into their camp and saw the crown up close, I knew what had happened. Unfortunately, that was also the last thing I knew until I woke up on my floor." Keri touched the back of her head gingerly. "You said I was possessed by the Diadem? How'd that happen without the crown?" 

 

The Doctor sat at the end of the sofa, his elbows resting on his knees as he leaned forward. "I'm guessing that when the archaeologists examined the crown it broke. Maybe a sliver of it embedded itself like a splinter into one of them…and that's all it took for the Diadem to influence their minds." 

"We pulled a rather nasty piece of it out of you after we stopped you from trying to stick one in the Doctor," Martha continued. "I've got to ask you though Keri…how'd you get a vase of roses?" 

The Doctor's eyebrow raised at Martha's question and he immediately kneeled down on the carpet to scan the flower petals with his screwdriver. 

"Is that what they are?" Keri asked. "A delivery man gave them to me last week…he said everyone in the kingdom was getting flowers as a gift to celebrate our soon to be king." 

"Lucitanica Rosaceae, to be precise," the Doctor said as he finished his scan, "but it's been genetically bred. There's no way he could've gotten these flowers from Earth." 

"Why would anyone do something like that?" Martha asked as she turned to see the Doctor rolling up the rug where the flowers had spilled. 

"Because the pollen from Earth flowers creates a decidedly violent reaction when it comes in contact with Pakhar," the Doctor answered dryly. "It seems our adversary is trying to cover his bases this time."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I go from a PG-13 to a solid R rating in this chapter... be forewarned.

Keri still needed time to recover as they worked out a plan, so the Doctor and Martha stayed the night in Keri’s home. Martha had double checked her work with Keri’s wound, and after finding that she was healing fine sent her to get some rest. Meanwhile, the Doctor had performed some in-depth scans on the shards and updated their screwdrivers to be able to detect its presence when scanning someone. 

Martha stifled a yawn as she closed the door to Keri’s room and walked over to the Doctor who was stretched out on the sofa, his suit jacket and coat on the chair next to him. She cleared her throat and nodded at the Doctor’s occupation of the entire couch. He replied by smiling and gesturing for Martha to stretch out with him. “I think this couch is big enough for the both of us…and you look tired.”

The Doctor made room for Martha as she stretched out between his legs and laid her cheek to his chest, the double throb of his heartbeats lulling her towards sleep. The Doctor wrapped one arm around her waist and the other idly stroked her hair as he stared hard at the ceiling in thought. 

I want you and Keri to go back to the TARDIS in the morning, Martha.

Martha’s hand curled against the Doctor’s chest at his words. You need me to help you…how am I supposed to do that back at the TARDIS?

You can help me by letting me know you’re safe. I’m going to make my way into the castle so I can speak to Vor’na’rok, and I don’t want to risk you getting infected with one of those shards.

Martha lifted her head to look at the Doctor and he stroked her cheek gently with his long fingers, cutting off her protest. Please, Martha. 

But what if something happens to you? Do you expect me to just shrug it off and go home?

The Doctor swallowed hard. You’re already proven to everyone that will never happen. His fingers slid from her cheek to gently trace her lips as Martha gasped softly. You are strong and brilliant, Doctor Martha Jones…never forget that. If something happens to me I know you’ll be able to pick up the pieces. 

I may be brilliant… The Doctor broke into a grin at Martha’s words. But I’m strong because I have to be…because I love you. Martha’s hand clenched in the Doctor’s shirt as she held her breath, her feelings bared once again to the Doctor. 

His hand stilled and Martha could see moisture welling in his eyes as his smile fell. Martha…I…

I know you can’t say it…and that’s okay. Martha smiled slightly. Over 900 years…I figure you’ve got your reasons. I…I just wanted you to know this time. Martha ducked her head into his chest, not wanting to see his reaction to her confession. After a moment of silence his fingers slipped under her chin and coaxed her face up to his as he bent forward to brush his lips against hers. Martha’s lips parted in surprise and his kiss deepened as his hands moved to cup her head, his thumbs stroking her jaw line.

The Doctor slid down the couch till he was on his back and gently pulled Martha with him so that she was lying on top of him, her warm hands sliding under his shirt to feel the cool skin of his chest beneath. He groaned in pleasure as Martha’s nimble fingers worked their way through his shirt buttons. He tilted her head slightly and leisurely nipped at Martha’s full lips, the tip of his tongue running along her bottom lip to memorize her taste for the lonely years he knew were inevitable. 

Martha shifted her hips to fit snuggly against his and his desire flared. He pulled back slightly to draw a ragged breath and whispered her name against her lips. “Martha…I’ll give you what I can if you’ll have me.”

Martha smiled in reply, her eyes bright with unshed tears. She leaned back and moved her legs till she was straddling the Doctor’s hips. Then be with me, Doctor. Here…now…let me love you. Martha ran her hands along her torso and slowly pulled the bottom of her tank top up to reveal the soft curves of her breasts. She pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor as she shook her hair out. She proceeded to run her fingers back down her chest, lightly skimming her dark nipples before returning them to the Doctor’s chest. She ran her hands up and under the Doctor’s unbuttoned shirt and spread it wide to reveal the pale cool skin of his chest underneath. 

By Rassilon…words can’t describe how beautiful you are, Martha Jones. He ran his hands up her torso and cupped her breasts gently, the rough pads of his thumbs teasing her nipples taut.

Fortunately we don’t need words. Martha smiled as she moved her hips, rubbing her heat against his hard length, eliciting a low moan from the Doctor. 

He sat up suddenly and shifted his feet to the floor as he cradled Martha in his lap, his fingers tracing down her spine and eliciting shivers of pleasure. When he reached her bottom he cupped it firmly in his hands, bringing her tight against him with a gasp of surprise from Martha. I’m going to take my time tasting you this time, Martha. I couldn’t forget your taste after the Royal Hope, and I’ve been craving more ever since. His mouth hovered over her neck, his warm breath teasing her senses as she tried to expose as much of it to him as she could. His lips brushed her throbbing pulse and his tongue reached out to circle it before trailing down to lick at the hollow at the base of her throat. His hands then ran up her spine again to cradle her gently as he leaned her backwards in his embrace, bringing her breasts within reach of his waiting mouth. 

She moaned as she felt the heat of the Doctor’s exhaled breath teasing her nipple. She stroked the Doctor’s shoulders as she arched her back in anticipation. Please… 

When his tongue reached out to circle her areola and flick her Martha nearly came with the pleasure of it, biting her lip hard to keep from waking Keri. When he drew her nipple into his mouth and held it gently between his teeth, however, Martha knew she was done for. She felt the soft pull of his lips as he suckled her breast, and when he thrust his hardness against her moist heat she couldn’t hold back. Oh God…Doctor…

He quickly pulled her trembling body against his and ran his fingers up to her temples as he kissed her, muffling her unrestrained moans of ecstasy. See how beautiful you are to me, Martha. 

Martha’s mind exploded with vibrant colors swirling around her. When she was finally able to focus she realized that she was looking at herself being held gently in the Doctor’s embrace. Her body was shimmering with light as swirls of copper and gold undulated over her dark skin. You positively glow with energy, Martha…as beautiful and powerful as any sun…and when I look at you I burn. He gently laid them both back down on the couch, cradling Martha’s head against his hearts as she once again laid between his legs. Your light takes all my shadows away, leaving me nowhere to hide. I may not be able to give you what you’ve given me…but I wanted you to know, Martha; I’ve always seen you.

Doctor, I…

“Ssh, Martha…try and get some sleep.” The Doctor whispered as he stroked her hair and pulled his coat over her like a blanket. 

Martha’s mind raced with the Doctor’s confession, thinking back to all the times where she could’ve sworn she caught him looking at her when he thought she wouldn’t notice. Could it be…did he…

Hey now…you can over-analyze this later to your heart’s content. For now though Martha, please try and get some rest.

Waves of calm passed through Martha’s mind, and soon all she could think about was the Doctor’s arms around her and the double-beat of his hearts as she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

The Doctor breathed deep and stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. He had to think of a way to get into the palace and past anyone who might be infected to reach the king-to-be before the coronation in 3 days. The psychic paper always did wonders…but would it work against someone infected by the Diadem? There was only one way to find out. He gently rolled over so that Martha was sleeping beside him and inched his way off the sofa so as not to disturb her. He buttoned his shirt, straightened his tie, put on his suit jacket and checked his pockets before turning and gazing longingly at Martha’s sleeping form. He sighed and reluctantly made his way out of the house and into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

-ring-ring-ring- 

“I’m really sorry, Tarn, but I’m sick like you wouldn’t believe,” Keri said into the phone as she walked out of her bedroom with the phone. “I haven’t been myself lately, and I need a few days to recover before I can get back to things. I swear, though…I’ve got a story brewing that you’re just going to love.”

Martha groggily rolled over and pulled the Doctor’s coat over her face. She had been having the most incredible dream where she and the Doctor…the Doctor! Where was he? She sat up quickly only to realize that she didn’t have her top on and yanked the coat up to cover herself. As she pulled her tank top from the crevice of the sofa she remembered his words and smiled. She pulled the top on and ran her fingers through her hair to straighten it out as she walked towards Keri’s front window. She pulled the curtains aside to see the castle in the distance. You’d better come back to me, Doctor….we’re not finished yet; not by a long shot.

Doctor’s orders? 

Martha laughed in joy as she felt the Doctor brush her mind. 

Doctor’s orders.

She smiled and let the curtain fall away as she turned back towards the room, her hands on her hips. 

Right…time to get this show on the road.

 

~~~

The Doctor tapped the psychic paper in his pocket as he strolled up to the palace gates, his hands in his coat pockets. A guard was on each side of the main gate, spears in hand as they stood at attention. He’d already scanned them to make sure they weren’t infected, so it was left to see what the psychic paper would make him this time. Security consultant, maybe? Caterer? 

As he walked closer the guards snapped to attention and crossed their spears in front of the door. “Identify yourself, stranger!”

“Ah…yes,” the Doctor said as he reached into his pocket with one hand, the other held up in a gesture of non-aggression. He pulled out his billfold and flipped it open. “I’ve come a long way to see Vor’na’rok, actually.”  
The apparently senior of the guards stepped forward to squint at the psychic paper, and when he stepped back he breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank the Great Wheel…he’s been waiting for you!”

He has? The Doctor coughed to cover his surprise before he answered in his best authoritative voice, “Best not to keep him waiting then eh, solider? Where is Vor’na’rok so that I can find him with utmost speed?”

The guard snapped his heels together as he replied, “He’s in his study, 2nd floor. Take the main stairs and it’s 4 doors down on the left.” He handed the Doctor his billfold and the two guards proceeded to open the doors for the Doctor.

“Thanks very much! I’ll be sure to tell our king-to-be what a bang-up-job you’ve all been doing.” The Doctor saluted the guards with a quick snap of his hand and walked into the castle. When he found an alcove he could duck into unobserved he took out his billfold and looked at the psychic paper. Professor Aldred from the Peladon Historical Society? Hmmn…things are getting curiouser and curiouser, Alice. 

As he prepared to leave the alcove he could feel Martha’s comforting presence in his mind. He had wondered how far he was going to get before she woke up. 

You’d better come back to me, Doctor…we’re not finished yet; not by a long shot.

The Doctor smiled to himself as he leaned back into the alcove. Doctor’s orders?

He could feel Martha’s warmth radiate across their link as she laughed. Doctor’s orders.

The Doctor then pushed himself out of the alcove and made his way up the large set of main stairs in the foyer of the palace. Grandiose architecture abounded inside, with dark woods and bright metal accents everywhere the Doctor looked. Above hung a large chandelier that created a soft golden glow that lit his way up the stairs and revealed a line of royal portraits along the wall. 

Strange…I don’t see anyone of the line of Vor’na’rok. Could this be another clue? 

He made his way down the hall, following the guard’s directions till he reached the door of the study. The Doctor took a deep breath before he knocked on the door. “Enter,” commanded a voice from within. 

Here goes nothing…

The Doctor turned the doorknob and pushed the door open as he strode in. “First off, may I offer you my congratulations for your coronation tomorrow, Vor’na’rok. That’s got to be quite a feat, yeah? We certainly don’t want to have anything go wrong with the coronation, which is why I’m here by the way, not to make anything go wrong mind you but to help make things right.”

The black furred and taller than usual Pakhar turned from the fireplace at the far end of the room with his hands behind his back to look at the Doctor. “I shall have to punish the guards at the door, as you don’t seem to be the person I have been waiting for. Would you care to solve my quandary now, or shall I summon the guards to help you?” His hand hovered over a braided pull-cord by the mantle. 

“Ah…yeah…sorry about that,” the Doctor said as he pulled at his earlobe and walked further into the room. “I had to tell your guards something so that they would let me in to see you quickly, and that’s what ended up coming up on the ID.”

Vor’na’rok’s eyes grew large in surprise as he dropped his hand and walked forward to his desk. “May I see this amazing ID?”

“But of course, your highness.” The Doctor handed the billfold to Vor’na’rok and continued, “Through fortuitous circumstances I’ve been able to uncover a potential plot to disrupt the coronation tomorrow night. It is vitally urgent that you not use the crown that was discovered by the archaeologists on Peladon. It’s a trap of rather sinister proportions, and everyone who has come in contact with it has fallen under its power. I’m afraid someone is setting you up so they can take control of your kingdom when you put that crown on.” He ran his hands through his hair as he began pacing back and forth. “Is there another crown that you could use instead? Maybe you could make up a reason to delay the coronation until we find a suitable replacement…”

“Now why would I want to replace the crown with something else? It took quite a bit of money and time for them to find it in the first place….Doctor…” 

The Doctor froze with his hands in his hair as he faced away from Vor’na’rok. His last thoughts, before the piercing pain hit him in his back and he fell to the ground, were I guess the psychic paper doesn’t work on infected people after all…

~~~

Martha stumbled against the kitchen counter of Keri’s house as a piercing pain hit her head. She shook her head lightly and put a trembling hand to her temple as she realized what might have happened. Doctor? Are you there? 

Silence answered her, and as her heart dropped into her stomach she knew that something bad had happened to the Doctor. She swallowed hard and pushed away from the counter to turn and face a confused Keri standing behind her.

“You okay, Martha?”

“Not really…but that doesn’t stop there being a job for us to do now does it?” She forced herself to smile at Keri as she grabbed her jacket. This must be what the Doctor feels like when I ask him…”He told me last night that he wants us to head to the TARDIS so that we can help him from there.” Martha strode out the door whilst Keri quickly grabbed her jacket and keys to try and keep up. 

“So what are we going to do at this TARDIS?” Keri asked. “Is there something there that can help us?”

Martha grinned and gestured with her hands as she replied, “The TARDIS has the best labs ever, Keri. I figure at the very least, with the help of your DNA and my medical knowledge, we should be able to use the lab to generate an antihistamine blocker that will prevent anymore Earth flowers from turning your people into rabid animals.” She looked down at the outfit she had on since yesterday and smiled sheepishly at Keri. “That, and there’s some things I need to pick up along with a change of clothes…”

A half an hour later Martha was hunched over a microscope in the TARDIS and Keri was rubbing her arm where the needle had drawn her blood. “Fantastic,” she whispered as she watched the allergen blockers she and the TARDIS had created do their job with Keri’s blood. She looked up and reached over for the last vial of medicine they had created. “Now all I’ve got to do is set the TARDIS to generate more of this into an aerosol delivery system and we’ll be set.” She got up from her stool and placed the vial inside a small door in the TARDIS wall. She pressed the appropriate command code into the pad next to it and smiled in satisfaction at the whirring from within telling her the TARDIS had begun replication. 

“So…” she said as she turned around to face Keri and gestured with her thumb over her shoulder at the replication chamber. “This may take a bit…care for a cup of tea or something?”

Keri smiled. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

~~~

“Tell me, Keri,” Martha asked as she stirred her cup of orange tea and looked down at the table, “and I understand if it’s too soon and all, but…what was it like when you were possessed by the Diadem? Could you tell what was happening?” She swallowed hard. “Did it hurt?” she ended quietly.

Keri gazed at her in concern over her cup of tea between her hands. She set the cup down with a sigh and turned it idly as she gathered her thoughts. “After I was…infected…it was like I was stuck in a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from,” Keri answered. “I was trapped, reliving what felt like the worst moment of my life over and over again.” She stopped turning the cup and placed her hands flat on the table. “My father…he…he died in a car accident when I was young. We were on our way to a festival that I wanted to go to when the vehicle hit us…”

“Oh Keri…I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Martha moved her hand to squeeze Keri’s gently, the tears building in her eyes. Oh God…what must the Doctor be going through right now? Is he reliving the Time War? Gallifrey?

“No…it’s okay that you asked.” Keri assured her after she took a shaky breath. She looked at Martha closely before she continued, “You think something has happened to the Doctor, don’t you?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I think so,” Martha replied. “We have a…connection of sorts, and when I was in the kitchen…”

“You suddenly lost that connection.” Keri finished as she put two and two together.

“Yeah,” Martha muttered sadly.

Suddenly a beeping started coming from Keri’s jacket. Martha looked at her curiously as Keri scrambled to pull something out of her pocket that reminded Martha of her sister’s Blackberry. “It’s a news alert,” Keri explained as she pressed a series of buttons on the device. “I’ve got it set up to let me know when there’s a media interruption.”

The sounds of station identification filtered out from the device as Keri set it up on the table for them to watch. The screen focused to reveal Vor’na’rok standing in front of the royal seal wearing a maroon velvet tunic and black cloak and gloves.

Greetings my fellow Pakhar! I bring you a joyous announcement regarding my pending coronation. It seems that the goddess of luck is shining upon us, as a special guest will be joining us to celebrate our country’s glory. I’m afraid he isn’t long for our world, however…so considering these special circumstances and with the approval of the Council, the official coronation ceremony has been moved to tomorrow night! (applause) Thank you, kind citizens…I look forward to celebrating with you as your King.

With a bow and a wave to the camera, Vor’na’rok left and the screen returned to regular broadcasting. 

“No…they’ve got the Doctor!” Martha shuddered as Vor’na’rok confirmed what she already knew deep down. “He’s moving up the ceremony so he can do something horrible to him…I just know it!” She clenched her fists and banged them on the table in frustration, making Keri’s device jump.

Keri seemed to be more focused on the broadcast, however, as she grabbed her device in her hands and started frantically pressing buttons. “That doesn’t look the worst of it, Martha…take a look at this!” She had rewound and paused the broadcast at the point where Vor’na’rok was waving. “Do you see it….there on his wrist?” She pointed frantically at the screen.

“I’m not sure I…” Martha began, and then she froze as she saw it. As Vor’na’rok waved to the crowd his glove had ridden up to reveal a wound with a shiny black circular shape in the middle of it. Martha gasped as the light from the cameras reflected off the end of the glassy black shard embedded in Vor’na’rok’s wrist.


	6. Chapter 6

-ring-ring-ring- 

“I’m really sorry, Tarn, but I’m sick like you wouldn’t believe,” Keri said into the phone as she walked out of her bedroom with the phone. “I haven’t been myself lately, and I need a few days to recover before I can get back to things. I swear, though…I’ve got a story brewing that you’re just going to love.”

Martha groggily rolled over and pulled the Doctor’s coat over her face. She had been having the most incredible dream where she and the Doctor…the Doctor! Where was he? She sat up quickly only to realize that she didn’t have her top on and yanked the coat up to cover herself. As she pulled her tank top from the crevice of the sofa she remembered his words and smiled. She pulled the top on and ran her fingers through her hair to straighten it out as she walked towards Keri’s front window. She pulled the curtains aside to see the castle in the distance. You’d better come back to me, Doctor….we’re not finished yet; not by a long shot.

Doctor’s orders? 

Martha laughed in joy as she felt the Doctor brush her mind. 

Doctor’s orders.

She smiled and let the curtain fall away as she turned back towards the room, her hands on her hips. 

Right…time to get this show on the road.

 

~~~

The Doctor tapped the psychic paper in his pocket as he strolled up to the palace gates, his hands in his coat pockets. A guard was on each side of the main gate, spears in hand as they stood at attention. He’d already scanned them to make sure they weren’t infected, so it was left to see what the psychic paper would make him this time. Security consultant, maybe? Caterer? 

As he walked closer the guards snapped to attention and crossed their spears in front of the door. “Identify yourself, stranger!”

“Ah…yes,” the Doctor said as he reached into his pocket with one hand, the other held up in a gesture of non-aggression. He pulled out his billfold and flipped it open. “I’ve come a long way to see Vor’na’rok, actually.”  
The apparently senior of the guards stepped forward to squint at the psychic paper, and when he stepped back he breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank the Great Wheel…he’s been waiting for you!”

He has? The Doctor coughed to cover his surprise before he answered in his best authoritative voice, “Best not to keep him waiting then eh, solider? Where is Vor’na’rok so that I can find him with utmost speed?”

The guard snapped his heels together as he replied, “He’s in his study, 2nd floor. Take the main stairs and it’s 4 doors down on the left.” He handed the Doctor his billfold and the two guards proceeded to open the doors for the Doctor.

“Thanks very much! I’ll be sure to tell our king-to-be what a bang-up-job you’ve all been doing.” The Doctor saluted the guards with a quick snap of his hand and walked into the castle. When he found an alcove he could duck into unobserved he took out his billfold and looked at the psychic paper. Professor Aldred from the Peladon Historical Society? Hmmn…things are getting curiouser and curiouser, Alice. 

As he prepared to leave the alcove he could feel Martha’s comforting presence in his mind. He had wondered how far he was going to get before she woke up. 

You’d better come back to me, Doctor…we’re not finished yet; not by a long shot.

The Doctor smiled to himself as he leaned back into the alcove. Doctor’s orders?

He could feel Martha’s warmth radiate across their link as she laughed. Doctor’s orders.

The Doctor then pushed himself out of the alcove and made his way up the large set of main stairs in the foyer of the palace. Grandiose architecture abounded inside, with dark woods and bright metal accents everywhere the Doctor looked. Above hung a large chandelier that created a soft golden glow that lit his way up the stairs and revealed a line of royal portraits along the wall. 

Strange…I don’t see anyone of the line of Vor’na’rok. Could this be another clue? 

He made his way down the hall, following the guard’s directions till he reached the door of the study. The Doctor took a deep breath before he knocked on the door. “Enter,” commanded a voice from within. 

Here goes nothing…

The Doctor turned the doorknob and pushed the door open as he strode in. “First off, may I offer you my congratulations for your coronation tomorrow, Vor’na’rok. That’s got to be quite a feat, yeah? We certainly don’t want to have anything go wrong with the coronation, which is why I’m here by the way, not to make anything go wrong mind you but to help make things right.”

The black furred and taller than usual Pakhar turned from the fireplace at the far end of the room with his hands behind his back to look at the Doctor. “I shall have to punish the guards at the door, as you don’t seem to be the person I have been waiting for. Would you care to solve my quandary now, or shall I summon the guards to help you?” His hand hovered over a braided pull-cord by the mantle. 

“Ah…yeah…sorry about that,” the Doctor said as he pulled at his earlobe and walked further into the room. “I had to tell your guards something so that they would let me in to see you quickly, and that’s what ended up coming up on the ID.”

Vor’na’rok’s eyes grew large in surprise as he dropped his hand and walked forward to his desk. “May I see this amazing ID?”

“But of course, your highness.” The Doctor handed the billfold to Vor’na’rok and continued, “Through fortuitous circumstances I’ve been able to uncover a potential plot to disrupt the coronation tomorrow night. It is vitally urgent that you not use the crown that was discovered by the archaeologists on Peladon. It’s a trap of rather sinister proportions, and everyone who has come in contact with it has fallen under its power. I’m afraid someone is setting you up so they can take control of your kingdom when you put that crown on.” He ran his hands through his hair as he began pacing back and forth. “Is there another crown that you could use instead? Maybe you could make up a reason to delay the coronation until we find a suitable replacement…”

“Now why would I want to replace the crown with something else? It took quite a bit of money and time for them to find it in the first place….Doctor…” 

The Doctor froze with his hands in his hair as he faced away from Vor’na’rok. His last thoughts, before the piercing pain hit him in his back and he fell to the ground, were I guess the psychic paper doesn’t work on infected people after all…

~~~

Martha stumbled against the kitchen counter of Keri’s house as a piercing pain hit her head. She shook her head lightly and put a trembling hand to her temple as she realized what might have happened. Doctor? Are you there? 

Silence answered her, and as her heart dropped into her stomach she knew that something bad had happened to the Doctor. She swallowed hard and pushed away from the counter to turn and face a confused Keri standing behind her.

“You okay, Martha?”

“Not really…but that doesn’t stop there being a job for us to do now does it?” She forced herself to smile at Keri as she grabbed her jacket. This must be what the Doctor feels like when I ask him…”He told me last night that he wants us to head to the TARDIS so that we can help him from there.” Martha strode out the door whilst Keri quickly grabbed her jacket and keys to try and keep up. 

“So what are we going to do at this TARDIS?” Keri asked. “Is there something there that can help us?”

Martha grinned and gestured with her hands as she replied, “The TARDIS has the best labs ever, Keri. I figure at the very least, with the help of your DNA and my medical knowledge, we should be able to use the lab to generate an antihistamine blocker that will prevent anymore Earth flowers from turning your people into rabid animals.” She looked down at the outfit she had on since yesterday and smiled sheepishly at Keri. “That, and there’s some things I need to pick up along with a change of clothes…”

A half an hour later Martha was hunched over a microscope in the TARDIS and Keri was rubbing her arm where the needle had drawn her blood. “Fantastic,” she whispered as she watched the allergen blockers she and the TARDIS had created do their job with Keri’s blood. She looked up and reached over for the last vial of medicine they had created. “Now all I’ve got to do is set the TARDIS to generate more of this into an aerosol delivery system and we’ll be set.” She got up from her stool and placed the vial inside a small door in the TARDIS wall. She pressed the appropriate command code into the pad next to it and smiled in satisfaction at the whirring from within telling her the TARDIS had begun replication. 

“So…” she said as she turned around to face Keri and gestured with her thumb over her shoulder at the replication chamber. “This may take a bit…care for a cup of tea or something?”

Keri smiled. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

~~~

“Tell me, Keri,” Martha asked as she stirred her cup of orange tea and looked down at the table, “and I understand if it’s too soon and all, but…what was it like when you were possessed by the Diadem? Could you tell what was happening?” She swallowed hard. “Did it hurt?” she ended quietly.

Keri gazed at her in concern over her cup of tea between her hands. She set the cup down with a sigh and turned it idly as she gathered her thoughts. “After I was…infected…it was like I was stuck in a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from,” Keri answered. “I was trapped, reliving what felt like the worst moment of my life over and over again.” She stopped turning the cup and placed her hands flat on the table. “My father…he…he died in a car accident when I was young. We were on our way to a festival that I wanted to go to when the vehicle hit us…”

“Oh Keri…I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Martha moved her hand to squeeze Keri’s gently, the tears building in her eyes. Oh God…what must the Doctor be going through right now? Is he reliving the Time War? Gallifrey?

“No…it’s okay that you asked.” Keri assured her after she took a shaky breath. She looked at Martha closely before she continued, “You think something has happened to the Doctor, don’t you?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I think so,” Martha replied. “We have a…connection of sorts, and when I was in the kitchen…”

“You suddenly lost that connection.” Keri finished as she put two and two together.

“Yeah,” Martha muttered sadly.

Suddenly a beeping started coming from Keri’s jacket. Martha looked at her curiously as Keri scrambled to pull something out of her pocket that reminded Martha of her sister’s Blackberry. “It’s a news alert,” Keri explained as she pressed a series of buttons on the device. “I’ve got it set up to let me know when there’s a media interruption.”

The sounds of station identification filtered out from the device as Keri set it up on the table for them to watch. The screen focused to reveal Vor’na’rok standing in front of the royal seal wearing a maroon velvet tunic and black cloak and gloves.

Greetings my fellow Pakhar! I bring you a joyous announcement regarding my pending coronation. It seems that the goddess of luck is shining upon us, as a special guest will be joining us to celebrate our country’s glory. I’m afraid he isn’t long for our world, however…so considering these special circumstances and with the approval of the Council, the official coronation ceremony has been moved to tomorrow night! (applause) Thank you, kind citizens…I look forward to celebrating with you as your King.

With a bow and a wave to the camera, Vor’na’rok left and the screen returned to regular broadcasting. 

“No…they’ve got the Doctor!” Martha shuddered as Vor’na’rok confirmed what she already knew deep down. “He’s moving up the ceremony so he can do something horrible to him…I just know it!” She clenched her fists and banged them on the table in frustration, making Keri’s device jump.

Keri seemed to be more focused on the broadcast, however, as she grabbed her device in her hands and started frantically pressing buttons. “That doesn’t look the worst of it, Martha…take a look at this!” She had rewound and paused the broadcast at the point where Vor’na’rok was waving. “Do you see it….there on his wrist?” She pointed frantically at the screen.

“I’m not sure I…” Martha began, and then she froze as she saw it. As Vor’na’rok waved to the crowd his glove had ridden up to reveal a wound with a shiny black circular shape in the middle of it. Martha gasped as the light from the cameras reflected off the end of the glassy black shard embedded in Vor’na’rok’s wrist.


	7. Chapter 7

“Tell me why we’re going to my studio again?” Keri huffed as she ran to keep up with Martha’s speeding form.

Martha came to a stop in the large parking lot surrounding the GFTV studios and pointed towards the glass covered building with various antennae sticking out of it. “We’re going in there,” she said a little breathlessly, “because I want to see any previous tapes you’ve got of Vor’na’rok. If he’s been possessed since the beginning of this mess, then I’ve got the feeling the Doctor walked straight into a trap. And unlike him,” she said with a roll of her eyes as Keri unlocked the back door to the studio with her keys, “I like to know what I’m getting into first.”

Fortunately it was after hours at the studio by the time Martha and Keri had gotten to it, so the parking lot was empty other than the odd vehicle. Martha peered down the hallway as best as she could to see if the coast was clear, but it was too dark. “Fortunately, a year to myself has taught me how to be a good scout,” Martha joked to herself as she pulled a small flashlight out of one of the many pockets of the black UNIT outfit she obtained during the ‘Lost Year.’ I kind-a hoped I’d never have to wear this again…but I can’t argue against it’s practicality.”

“I’m not going to even pretend I know what you’re talking about…but I can guess that outfit carries bad memories along with flashlights,” Keri whispered as she followed Martha down the hallway to an intersection. “My office is down to the right.”

 

They made their way down to Keri’s office after a quick check of the intersection. Keri fumbled with her keys nervously as she tried to unlock her door, and Martha hissed in warning as she quickly scanned up and down the hallway. “Sorry,” whispered Keri as she found the key and unlocked the door with a soft click. “Guess I’m not as experienced at this as you are.”

“Trust me…that’s a good thing.” Martha whispered back as she entered the office and scanned it with her flashlight. It all seemed normal, so she motioned for Keri to follow and they closed the door behind them.

“All right,” she said as she gazed around the office to see a bookshelf full of indexed discs. “You said that you were sent to Peladon to do the story on the archaeologists who discovered the Diadem, right?” Keri nodded. “So…did they ever have any weird visitors to the site? Anyone involved with the Pakha kingdom?”

Keri thought hard for a moment with a furrowed brow before her eyes widened. “Wait a minute…” she started rifling through the discs on the shelf until she came to one labeled 2 weeks ago, and another labeled last week. She pulled the first disc it out of its case and slid it into a drive by her monitor. Images flashed by on the screen as Keri fast forwarded through the beginning of it, until she got to a scene where she was describing the archaeologists’ excitement over finding the crown and their desire to test it before confirming the results.

“There,” she exclaimed as she froze the screen and zoomed in on the archaeologists’ tent in the background. A number of men who looked like they were from the dig were coming out of it, along with a suspiciously clean looking Peladonian with sunglasses and slicked back hair. “That guy. He wasn’t one of the team at the site, and he wasn’t part of our crew. I thought he was suspicious at the time, but obviously, other things came up that made me forget about it,” she said wryly as she pointed at the screen. 

Keri then ejected the disc and put in the second one she had pulled from the shelf. This disc was more recent, and looked like the broadcast that announced the arrival of the crown to Pakha. Keri was shown standing by the runway of a transport station, and as the archaeologists’ shuttle opened the dig team came out and waved and smiled at the crowd that had gathered to witness their success. Behind the waving archaeologists, however, were two men in sunglasses in dark suits who took the locked box Martha assumed contained the Diadem into a long black vehicle displaying the royal seal “There…there he is again!”

Martha rubbed her chin as she watched the monitor and idly fingered her sonic screwdriver in her pocket. She looked around Keri’s office and noticed another computer on the desk opposite of hers. “I wonder…do you mind if I use your computer to do a search?”

“Go ahead,” Keri said as she gestured at the computer over her shoulder. “I’ve still got some discs I want to check now that I know who I am looking for. Just press the button on the side of the monitor.” 

Martha sat down at the computer and popped her knuckles before she set her screwdriver next to the keyboard. All right…let’s see if I can apply what I’ve learned like a good student. She typed in “Vor’ag’nok” in their internet search function and pressed enter to read the listing of the typical things she expected. There was the Pakha Tourist Board, the official palace website, things like that. She took the screwdriver and punched in the setting 7337, and when she pointed it at the computer the screen began flashing with information. Minutes later she had struck gold. “I’ve got it!” 

Keri rolled her chair over next to Martha and quickly read the information she was pointing to. “According to this, Vor’ag’nok’s family seems to have had a healthy interest in funding expeditions to Peladon for quite a while. This only helps verify what I’ve found too…” she gestured back at her screen. “That guy with the sunglasses? Apparently he’s part of Vor’ag’nok’s crew. I’ve found him in the background of at least 5 other newscasts involving the coronation. “

“So,” said Martha as she turned to Keri. “Chances are that Vor’ag’nok’s been looking for this crown for quite a while. Maybe his family heard rumors about the supposed power of the crown and thought they could use it to obtain power on Pakha?” 

“Entirely possible, considering that rumors of power and prestige are what got people to dig it up in the first place,” Keri replied.  
.  
“Knowing that this king-to-be that we were trying to save is actually the cause of the problem changes things,” Martha said to herself. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration as she let out a deep sigh. “First things first, I guess,” she said as she stood up.

“What are we going to do now?” Keri asked as she stood next to her. 

“You’re going to go back to the TARDIS where it’s safe and research who’s next in line when this whole thing with Vor’ag’nok falls apart. You know how it goes…’The enemy of my enemy is my friend,’ and all that?”

“Afraid you’ve lost me with your Earth phrases,” Keri said with a half-grin as she put on her jacket. “I think I understand your meaning, though. What are you going to do?”

“Me?” Martha replied as she slipped her sonic screwdriver into her breast pocket. “I’m going to save the Doctor.” Martha took her TARDIS key out of her pocket and slipped it over her neck with a small sigh. Here we go again, Martha Jones...

Keri blinked and shook her head before she attempted to refocus on Martha. “What just happened?”

Martha took the key off and smiled as she hefted it in her hand. “Perception filter generated by the key. When I put it on it becomes very hard for people to see me. It’s like...your brain doesn’t want to see me so it does its best to ignore me all together. Right now you want to see me though, and your brain expects to see me, so it can fight it.”

“So you’re going to use that thing to get into the palace?” Keri asked as she gestured towards the key.

Martha nodded. “Hopefully I’ll be able to walk right in without a hitch.”

“Right then. You get the Doctor, I try and get support from the Council, and we meet...”

“We meet back at your place by 6:00 p.m. Hopefully once we get the Doctor back he can help us come up with a plan to stop the Diadem before the coronation.”

“May the Great Wheel turn your way,” Keri said as Martha prepared to go.

Martha smiled before she put the key back on. “May everything go our way.” She squared her shoulders and walked out the door into the night.

~~~~~~

An hour later and Martha found herself scoping out the guards at the front gate. A large gong sounded which made Martha jump, but when she looked around and saw that nothing was happening she realized it was just their main clock striking midnight. As the final gong rang out into the night the doors opened to reveal another set of guards ready to come on duty. She took off from her hiding place and managed to stroll in after the guards leaving duty to enter the palace with the doors closing behind her.

“I don’t care where the Captain puts us this time Garrl, as long as it’s not down in the prisons,” the smaller of the two guards said to the other as they walked through the foyer and down the left hall. “I’ve been hearing all kinds of moaning and groaning coming from there, and it just doesn’t sound right, I tell ya! It’s been going on since yesterday and I just don’t want to know...”

Martha’s eyes widened as she overheard the guard complain. That has to be the Doctor...what are they doing to him? She followed along behind the guards down the hallway, ears perked in case she could learn more about the Doctor’s plight.

“Don’t be silly, Joss,” said the guard named Garrl. “You act like you believe in ghosts or something.”

They walked past a dark alcove with a simply designed door. A faint painful groaning could be heard from the direction of the door as the two guards froze and stared. “Yeah...really silly of me.” the one named Joss said before they both shook themselves and continued down along the corridor and around the corner.

Martha placed her hand flat against the door as her eyes threatened to tear up. Hang on, Doctor...I’m coming. You waited a year for me before...you can hold out now. She checked the door to see that it was locked and whipped out her sonic screwdriver to take care of it. She smiled wryly as the lock clicked to signal her success. If I didn’t know better, Doctor, I might think that you got yourself in trouble just so I could prove that I listened to you today... She opened the door quietly and using the dim light of her screwdriver she cautiously made her way down the dark and dusty stairs.

The moans grew louder as she walked into a large room filled with columns at regular intervals and cell doors along each wall. She walked past various empty cells strewn with hay until she came to a more solid looking door with a small window in it that was most definitely locked. She stood on her tiptoes but could barely make out the Doctor’s limp form chained to a wall within. His head hung low and as he moaned his body twitched in pain. 

“Doctor...” she whispered sadly, then pulled out her screwdriver to use it to unlock the heavy door. As she waited for the satisfying click that usually followed to let her know she’d succeeded, she froze when instead she heard the sound of footsteps behind her.

“Put the weapon down and put your hands up, Martha Jones.”

 

What? “How do you see me...how do you know my name?” Martha asked incredulously as she turned around to see a grey and black Pakhar wearing a cloak and metal helmet stretching out to cover his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. 

“The Doctor’s mind has given us much while we wait for his fall,” the Pakhar said as he lashed out with his hand and knocked the screwdriver out of Martha’s hand to rattle against one of the many columns and fall to the ground. “We knew that you would be coming.”

Martha smiled to herself and suddenly the guard who Martha guessed was the Captain was launching forward to grab her throat and slam her to the door. “I’m sure it will pain the Doctor to know that his companion smiled at his misfortune,” the captain snarled in anger.

Martha’s hands went up around the captain’s to try and give herself a chance to breathe. She brought up her knees and kicked out at the Pakhar’s ribs, which stunned him just enough for him to drop her to her knees. She drew in a painful breath and crawled in the direction she hoped the screwdriver had fallen. She stretched out her hands in the dim light and felt around till the tips of her fingers brushed against something metal. She wrapped her hand around her screwdriver and let out a sigh of relief, just as the Captain wrapped his hand around her ankle and pulled. She hit the ground again with an “Ooof!” and was dragged back along the stones. 

Frantically she punched in a setting on her screwdriver before a clawed hand turned her over with a slash to her side, and she just managed to bring one of her feet up to plant in the Pakhar’s stomach as she gasped in pain to keep him from landing on top of her. 

“I smiled because he’s alive you possessed fur-ball,” she grunted as she brought the screwdriver up to fire the stun beam into his chest. With a gasp and a rolling of his eyes, the Captain went limp and Martha pushed with her remaining strength to get his dead weight off her. “And when he’s alive, I know that anything is possible.” 

Martha rubbed her sore throat as she opened the door to the Doctor's cell with her screwdriver and quickly pocketed it when she entered to see his limp form. "Oh God…Doctor? I'm here…" she ran up to him and cupped his cheek to try and get a look into his eyes when her mind reeled with a sudden flash of energy.

Martha…where are you?

Martha pulled herself off the ground to see that she was once again in the tower that was the Doctor's mind. Thirteen floors full of doors circled around her with an open lift in the middle of the ground floor. She stepped on the lift and proceeded upwards to the Doctor's more recent memories, but when she reached the 8th floor she noticed two disturbing things. She could hear a thumping coming from this floor, as if something was banging on the other side of one of the doors, and she saw that a crystalline growth was spreading across the floor. She looked up to see that the growth had started from above and was working its way down, like frost forming on a window. 

That's got to be the Diadem slowly taking over…they must have learned about me when they spread through the 10th floor…but where's the Doctor?

 

 

She got off on the 8th floor and did her best to follow the thumping sound while avoiding the crystals. She was checking each door until she encountered one with boards across it that looked like it had been charred and smoke damaged. As she examined the door she saw that there was once an intricate border along the door that reminded Martha of when the Doctor accompanied her here last. Could this be…when Gallifrey fell? She reached out to touch the door, but drew her hand back with a hiss when she felt the heat coming from the other side. The thumping grew louder against the other side of the door, and now Martha could make out screams. Her brow furrowed in concern as she glanced at the expanding crystals; they were expanding quickly, and she figured she had maybe twenty minutes before they surrounded her. 

She pulled out her screwdriver and frantically pressed in the setting for her laser scalpel. She tried to cut the boards with it, but it was just taking too long with the small beam and she didn't know how to adjust it yet. She bit off a curse as she pocketed the screwdriver and kicked at the door. Please Doctor…I'm here…but you've got to help me!

Martha…

The Doctor's voice whispered around her and Martha looked down to see a crowbar forming at her feet. That's what I'm talking about! With a big grin she picked up the crowbar and began applying it to the boards as the crystals continued to spread. "Oh no," Martha shook her head and bit her lip as she pulled hard against the boards, "I didn't go through months of risking my life and being ignored by the man I care about to finally get him to see me in time for me to lose him again…no way!" The boards came off one by one until there was one thick board left. She shoved the crowbar underneath it and braced her feet, pulling as hard as she could as she growled, "You can't have him!"

The board finally snapped away and Martha fell to the floor as the door burst open. Flames shot out of it as screams assailed Martha's ears…screams of thousands of people dying. Doctor…where are you? 

Suddenly Martha could see the shadow of a body through the flames. She inched as close as she could to the doorway and thrust her hand through the fire. A hand clasped hers and she pulled as hard as she could till a singed and ashen Doctor fell into her arms.

"All of them…gone…she made me…she made me do it," the Doctor sobbed.

Martha then heard a woman's voice come from the flames as she cradled his huddled form. "For the Time War to end, we must fall…the Daleks must not obtain our power. You must do it, Theta…"

The Doctor let out a choked sob and clutched at Martha's waist. "They made me do it…wouldn't take me with them…always alone…always alone."

Martha looked nervously around her as the crystals grew dangerously close around the doors to each side of them. She leaned down to whisper urgently into the Doctor's ear. " I came back for you, Doctor…you're not alone…but you will be if you don't wake up and DO SOMETHING!" 

Suddenly the Doctor's body went taut and his eyes and mouth flew open to emit a white light that blinded her. She blinked repeatedly and when she could start to see again she noticed that she was back in the prison cell with the Doctor, her hand still cupping his cheek. The Doctor groaned and slowly opened his eyes. 

"Doctor? Can you hear me?" Martha asked in concern.

"Ugh…M-Martha?" The Doctor slowly focused his eyes on Martha's and he smiled briefly before his face fell in sorrow as he realized what happened. "Martha…I…" 

She placed a finger gently on his lips. "We'll talk later." She took out her screwdriver and unlocked his manacles. "For now, let's just get you out of here."

The Doctor nodded silently and wiped a tear from his cheek before he followed Martha into the dark.


	8. Chapter 8

Martha and the Doctor walked back to the TARDIS in silence, their keys keeping them from being observed by most people and their screwdrivers enabling them to detect anyone the keys wouldn’t effect. As they walked down the lane that led to the TARDIS, the Doctor slowed his steps until he eventually stopped and looked up at the night sky. Martha stilled beside him and waited with bated breath…hoping that he would want to initiate the talk that was long overdue.

The Doctor sighed. “Many, many years ago…back in my 4th body, actually…the Time Lords gave me a mission. They sent me back in time to Skaro and told me to destroy the Daleks before they were created…and I was there…I could’ve done it…one twist of the wires, and poof, no more Daleks.”

“You couldn’t do it though…could you?” Martha said knowingly. She’d seen the Doctor with the Daleks after the Time War, and even then he did his best to help them rather than kill them. “You’re not a killer.”

“Aren’t I?” he asked in a disgusted tone. “I only traded one genocide for another in the end, Martha.” He looked down at her with heavy tears in his eyes as he continued in a choked voice, “I destroyed my home and my people, erasing them from history for all time, and I have been cursed to live with that knowledge for the rest of my days.”

“It sounded to me like you didn’t have much choice,” Martha said as she stood in front of him. She reached up to cup his cheek and the Doctor flinched slightly. “But that doesn’t matter to you, does it?” She dropped her hand as her voice became more stern. “You did it, for whatever reasons, and now you have to punish yourself and everyone who cares about you, don’t you?”

“I’m not trying to punish you, Martha…I’m trying to do you a favor,” the Doctor said flatly.

“Oh that’s bollocks and you know it!” she pushed at him and he took a step back. “I never thought I’d call someone who’s saved so many lives and jumped into so much danger a coward…but in the end that’s what’s been driving you, hasn’t it: running away?” Martha took a few steps away and turned suddenly to point accusingly at the Doctor. “That’s why you’ve got such a death wish! Instead of accepting what’s happened and taking a chance that someone else might understand, you’ve been rushing to your death and pushing me away…” Tears welled up in Martha’s eyes and the Doctor’s face fell as she began to cry. “I don’t understand why you ever asked me to join you, when all you want to do is wallow in self-pity.”

 

“Because I don’t want to do it anymore!” the Doctor exclaimed as he grabbed a rather surprised Martha by the arms and pressed her up against the wall of one of the buildings. “I’ve been drowning in my own guilt for centuries, Martha…centuries!” Tears fell freely down the Doctor’s face as he continued, “A drowning man will panic and fight when someone tries to rescue them…and I fought to hold on to my pain and guilt. That was all I knew in my life after the War…except for a brief time I was able to forget. For the first time in my life since, though, I’ve started to heal.” Martha sniffed and her tears stopped as she looked at the Doctor in growing wonder. “You were right…there was a time when I was too scared to live, Martha.” He reached up to cup her cheeks with trembling hands. “Now I’m just scared to live without you…”

“Then say it,” she said determinedly as she grabbed his shirt and tugged him to her. “Tell me why I shouldn’t ask you to take me back home right now so I can once again try and get over you and my broken heart.”

The Doctor drew a deep breath and gulped. “Martha…I…”

Say it!

He leaned in and brushed his trembling lips against her temple as they moved down and she could feel his warm breath against her ear. Martha gasped softly and held her breath…not daring to move or speak. “I love you, Martha Jones,” he whispered. 

Martha released a sob of relief and hugged him tight. “I love you too, you old fool.” She lost track of time as they stood in their silent embrace, each taking much needed comfort from the other. 

The Doctor eventually leaned back and kissed Martha on the forehead. “Right,” he said with a smile that made his eyes shine, “I believe we’ve still got a world to save, Doctor Jones.”

Martha laughed and wiped a tear of joy from her eye. “I do believe you’re right, Doctor Smith.”

The Doctor slipped his hand in Martha’s and they entered the TARDIS together.

~~~

“It’s about time you two got back…I was worrying my fur out!” Keri exclaimed as the Doctor and Martha walked up the ramp hand in hand.

“Sorry about that, Keri…everything’s okay now.” Martha squeezed the Doctor’s hand and he smiled.  
“Everything except the pending coronation of an evil mastermind, anyway,” the Doctor said as he pulled at his ear. “The direct approach didn’t work, obviously…turns out that-“

“Vor’ag’nok has been possessed by the Diadem longer than we thought, his family funded the archaeologists that dug it up in order to use its power, and a certain branch of the royal family was rather put out when this all happened and is willing to support us in their downfall,” Keri concluded as she walked up to him and hugged him. “Glad to see you’re okay, Doctor.” 

“You too, Keri.” The Doctor hugged her and looked at Martha questioningly over the top of Keri’s head. 

“What,” Martha said with a shrug of her shoulders, “are we supposed to just twiddle our thumbs while you’re out?” She winked and grinned at the Doctor. “Great job, Keri. Do they know when to meet us?”

“I told them what you told me, and after I showed them the proof of the crystals they consented to send a representative of the force they are gathering to my place at 6:00pm.” Keri replied as she stepped away from the Doctor.

“I guess I’d better get on with my part and come up with a cunning plan to save the day then,” the Doctor said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m going to take the crystals back to my workshop and see what I can come up with. Maybe a sonic resonance field would…”

“Actually,” Martha said as she slipped her hand around his arm, “they’re already in the med lab since I analyzed them to make an antihistamine spray that would counteract the Earth pollen effects.”

“They are, huh?” The Doctor asked with a raised eyebrow. “You’d better watch it, Doctor Jones…my fragile ego may not be able to handle everyone doing so wonderfully without me on a regular basis.”

Martha snickered as she tugged him towards the med bay. “Compliment accepted, Doctor…”  
~~~~~

A few hours later and a rather groggy Martha Jones was rubbing her eyes as she padded barefoot toward the kitchen in her pajamas. Keri was trying to catch some sleep in one of the extra bedrooms in the TARDIS, but Martha had been woken by the Doctor’s tinkering down the hall. She set herself on automatic pilot as she went through the steps to get a kettle on, grabbed two teacups from the counter, and set them on the table as she sat down to wait. 

It wasn’t long before the whistle of the teakettle jolted Martha just enough to keep her head from hitting the table. She yawned as she got up to grab the kettle and just about spilled it when she turned around to see a rather excited Doctor come barreling through the doorway. 

“There you are, Martha!” said the slightly out of breath Doctor. “I ran to your bedroom but you weren’t there, so I’ve been looking all over for you…went to the library, the med bay, the-“

“And you were looking for me why?” Martha asked as she poured hot water into the cups on the table and dropped a tea bag into each of them before she sat down.

“Ahh…tea! Perfect idea, Martha…you always know when to make a good cuppa,” the Doctor said as he finally noticed what she was doing and sat down with her at the table to grab a cup.

“Doctor…” Martha said tiredly as she held the cup to her face and inhaled the warm steam.

“Oh...too right…I was looking for you because I did it! That sonic resonator idea that I had…I figured out how we can use that to disable the Diadem and its shards. All we’ve got to do is get close enough so that we both can use our sonic screwdrivers on it to create a resonance field that will disrupt the Diadem’s psychic abilities long enough for us to get it back to the TARDIS where we can contain it safely and for good.”

“That’s great, Doctor.” Martha said with a smile as she sipped at her tea. “Any idea how we’re going to get close enough without getting captured again? Using the keys will only get us so far before we’re sure to run into possessed Pakhar.” Silence greeted her and she looked up from her tea to see that the Doctor was staring intently at her throat. 

“Martha,” he asked quietly, his eyes not wavering from the bruises that had formed on her throat after the Captain’s attack, “why didn’t you tell me they hurt you last night?”

Martha put a hand to her throat as she set her tea down. “I guess I was too caught up with other things,” she said with a half grin. “It’s not like I haven’t been hurt before on adventures…”

“Ahh,” said the Doctor in a tone that made a chill run down Martha’s spine, “but knowing that creature hurt you gives me more than enough incentive to make sure that bastard never touches a living soul again…” he finished his tea and gave Martha a soft smile, amazing her once again with how quick his moods can change. “Get yourself some more rest, Martha. When I’m finished I’ll wake you up and we’ll be ready to take care of things for good.” He got up from his chair and kissed her on the cheek gently before he clenched his fists and walked back to his workshop.

~~~~~~

Time passed, and Martha found herself being woken from a troubling nightmare about her Mother’s reaction to their new relationship by the Doctor’s hand gently shaking her hip. 

“Martha,” he whispered gently as he bent over her sleeping form, “time to get up and save the world.”

“Mnn…” mumbled Martha as she rolled over to face the Doctor, “I thought I did that already…”

“Cheeky woman,” the Doctor said with a smile as he sat down on the edge of the bed by her hip. “Here, I’ve even done the honor of making you some of that horribly bitter drink you like in the mornings.”

“Coffee?” Martha’s attitude perked up at the smell of the bitter and wonderfully caffeinated drink the Doctor had in his hand. She sat up and leaned against her headrest as the Doctor handed over her mug. “You wonderful man…”

“Old fool, wonderful man…just make sure you stick ‘brilliant genius’ in there somewhere and we’ll be all set,” the Doctor said with a wink.

“I take it that means you’ve got a plan?” Martha said with a raised brow.

“Indeed I do!” The Doctor got up and put his hands in his pockets, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. “I’ll let you drink your coffee and get ready, then you can join us in the console room, kay’?” 

“I’ll be right there,” Martha said with a smile, and the Doctor grinned at her before he backed out the door and walked down the hallway. 

Martha took a grateful gulp of coffee before she set it on her nightstand and got out of bed. “Right,” she muttered to herself as she ran her hands through her hair, “what does one wear when they’re trying to save the world?”


	9. Chapter 9

Not much later Martha made her way into the console room wearing khaki cargo pants, a white tank top and sneakers. She had her hair back in a spiky ponytail and sunglasses on her head. As she walked in she could hear the Doctor talking to Keri.

“This box is a hi-tech piece of equipment I spent all night creating, thank you very much…the ribbons and such are just to make it fit in with the party!”

Martha waved hello to Keri and walked up to join them at the console to see a box the size of a hat box covered in silver wrapping paper and tied with a blue bow. “Well…it is a rather pretty piece of hi-tech equipment,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you,” the Doctor said with a straight face, “I wrapped it myself.” He then winked at Martha and she laughed before moving to his side, where he was turning various knobs next to a monitor as a sound issued from a small speaker that sounded like he was flipping stations on a radio.

“It seems that Vor’ag’nok has done his best to keep last night’s escapades quiet…probably doesn’t want people to know that his power is slipping already before the coronation.” He motioned Martha closer so that he could hug her from behind and still keep an eye on the monitor. “I never did thank you for that, by the way.” 

Martha leaned back into his embrace and smiled as she hugged his arms around her. “No need,” she said before she turned around in his arms. “So…I got that the box is hi-tech…but what does it do exactly?”

“Ahh! So glad you asked, Martha Jones!” The Doctor danced around the console and stood in front of the box. He took the lid off and both Martha and Keri joined him on each side as they looked in the box to see speakers built into the sides as well as various emitters sticking out of it. “In here we have a portable sonic resonance chamber. When we place the Diadem in here, the resonance will block and dissipate psychic energy. This way all control over infected people will be lost, and they should turn back to normal without us having to search all over the place for them.”

“And how are we supposed to get the Diadem into there?” Keri asked.

“Yes…well…” he tugged at his ear, “Martha and I will have to use our screwdrivers to create a disruption field until we can get it into the box.”

“Here we go,” Martha said with a roll of her eyes and a laugh. “How are supposed to get close enough to the Diadem to do that, then?”

“That’s my other brilliant invention, actually,” the Doctor said with a grin as he fished into his suit pocket and pulled out a pendant on a chain. Martha held her hands out and he gently set the necklace into her hands with a fond smile.

“Frequent flier’s privilege?” Martha asked with a grin as she remembered the last time this happened. 

“Afraid this is a bit more temporary,” he said as he leaned against the console. “It’s a hologram generator that will allow you to look like a Pakhar and blend in. It will only last for about an hour, though. When you need it, just press the button in the middle there.”

“That’s fine for me, but what about you two?” Martha asked as she put on the pendant and looked back and forth at Keri and the Doctor.

“I’ll be able to get to the coronation party with my reporter’s credentials no problem, and with the help of your amazing ship here I even managed to forge some press credentials for you, Martha.” Keri handed her a clip badge identifying Martha as Keri’s personal assistant and she slipped it into one of her pant’s pockets along with her screwdriver. “I’m assuming that our help from the Council will have their own way in…but we won’t know for sure until we meet with them later.”

“That still leaves you, Doctor…” Martha said as she nodded at him.

“I’m the distraction, aren’t I?” The Doctor said as he picked up the box. “Besides…I was never one for costumes.”

“As far as I know, anyway…” Martha teased and the Doctor looked at her with a raised brow.

In due time, Martha…in due time.

Martha smiled at the Doctor before pointing a thumb over her shoulder. “Right, I’m going to go to the med bay and gather all the antihistamine spray I had the TARDIS generate before we go. I’ll just be a mo’,” she said and then jogged down the hall. 

They all walked out of the TARDIS together, Keri flipping open her phone and calling the news station, Martha hefting the backpack containing antihistamine spray over her shoulder, and the Doctor shaking his head and smiling as he locked the door behind them. 

“What’s so funny?” Martha asked as she turned to see a wide grin on his face.

“The kit and all…you just reminded me of Ace all of a sudden.” He put an arm around Martha’s shoulder and they walked down the lane together. “Lovely girl…you two would’ve gotten along smashingly, I’m sure; she’d beat everything up and you could treat their wounds afterwards.”  
~~~~

 

They made their way through the burgeoning crowds to Keri’s house, and the Doctor put out a warning hand before they got to the door. “Just let me scan it for any presence of the Diadem first,” he explained as he took out his screwdriver and waved it at the house. A few moments later he puffed out his cheeks as he exhaled and put the screwdriver back into his pocket. “Right…looks like everything’s clear then.”

Keri went up to the door and proceeded to knock on it in a pattern. Moments later it cracked open and a furred hand waved them inside.

“This must be the help Keri obtained…let’s keep on our toes with new players joining the fray,” the Doctor whispered to Martha. She nodded in agreement and they followed Keri close behind.

“Ahh!” Exclaimed the Doctor as they walked in to be faced with a number of black clad Pakhar wielding swords, their points aimed at his chest. “You must be representatives from the rather concerned council faction who isn’t pleased with the new coronation. Keri’s told me so….well….” he scratched his head, “she hasn’t told me anything about you at all, really.”

One of the black clad figures stepped forward and all the swords lowered respectfully. “As much as I would prefer it that way, I understand that more information is required for a trust to be formed.” He thrust out his hand and after the Doctor blinked for a moment he shook it enthusiastically. “My name is Keirst’na’toll, once the Prince Regent of Pakha… until Vor’ag’nok, that is.”

“Glad to meet you, Keirst! I’m the Doctor by the way, this is my capable companion Dr. Martha Jones, and you’ve already met Keri,” said the Doctor as he gestured to everyone. “If we could take a seat, I’d gladly explain the plan so far.” The Doctor sat down in one of the cushy chairs and placed the sonic resonance chamber on the coffee table, while Martha perched beside him on the arm of the chair. Keirst sat down on the couch across from the Doctor, and the guards who had accompanied him all put their swords away to stand at ease along the walls. 

The Doctor spent some time explaining his plan and the chamber to Keirst and his men while Keri gave Martha a quick rundown on what she needs to do to pass as her assistant should anything needed come up. They went over names of her co-workers, the different news stations, and anything Keri thought might be useful. 

Time passed, and as Martha stretched by the window she took a peek past the curtains and noticed the suns starting to lower. “Time check?” 

“Time to get this show on the road,” the Doctor said as he slapped his knees and stood up. “We’ll see you and your men at the coronation?” The Doctor asked as he shook Keirst’s hand good-bye. 

“Most definitely, Doctor. Hopefully this won’t be the last coronation where you will see me. May the next one involve Pakha’s rightful king.” 

“Oh hey, make sure that your men take some of these,” Martha said as she opened her backpack and pulled out the antihistamine spray. “If you encounter anyone under the effects of the pollen, this should help counteract that without harming them.” Keirst took the containers gratefully and turned to hand them to his men before they all made their way out the back.

 

“I’m going to gather my camera and press gear,” Keri said as she pointed down the hallway. She looked between Martha and the Doctor and smiled knowingly before she turned and headed to her room to give them some time alone.

“Are you ready?” The Doctor asked Martha as he walked up to her, his hands jammed deep into his pockets.

“I think so,” Martha said with a nod. “Do we really have to split up again?” 

The Doctor’s hands clenched tight in his pockets as he nodded. “Afraid so…” he replied. “Mind you…it’s not like I want us to or anything…I’d rather have you right here beside me.”

Martha blushed slightly and joked to cover it. “I can imagine…every time I leave you I seem to keep having to save you later.”

The Doctor’s hands came out of his pockets and he bent down to hug Martha tightly. “Ahh…but you’re so good at saving me,” he whispered in her ear. He leaned back slightly and brought his hands up to caress her neck, his cool fingers stroking the underside of her chin.

Martha raised her eyes to meet his and gasped as it was like seeing the Doctor for the first time. No longer did she see emotional shutters behind his eyes…she could see his feelings for her and her heart swelled so much she thought it would burst. “Doctor, I…”

He leaned forward and kissed her passionately, her words soon turning into little moans as her hands clutched at his suit coat. His hands glided down her back and as he leaned back to sit on the arm of the chair he cupped Martha’s ass and brought her tight against him with a moan of his own against her full lips. Martha ran her fingers over his shoulders and up through his hair as she returned his kisses, the tip of her tongue reaching out to taste his lips. 

By Rassilon, Martha…you do make it very hard for me to think about rescuing people when you kiss like that. 

That’s the point, in’ nit?

The Doctor broke the kiss with a regretful sigh and nuzzled her cheek tenderly as he held her in his arms. “Be careful, Martha Jones. I aim to continue this when we’re done on Pakah so that I can give you my complete attention.” He stood up and stepped towards the door before turning to Martha.

Martha smiled slyly and placed her hand on her hip as she pulled down her sunglasses. “With a promise like that, nothing’s going to stop me!” 

The Doctor smiled and laughed as he went out the door. Martha’s smile dropped and she gnawed at her bottom lip as she watched him leave.

~~~~  
Keri walked up behind Martha and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you ready?” 

Martha sighed then forced herself to smile as she turned around. “Let’s do this.”

Keri proceeded to tie a scarf around her neck to cover the fact that she was no longer possessed by the Diadem, and then handed Martha the video camera. Martha checked her bag and press badge, and then walked out to join the celebration.

Large balloons and even more decorations lined the streets as crowds of people gathered for the coronation. The stalls that were bustling the previous day were now closed as everyone made their way to the plaza to witness the event. Music could be heard and as they got closer, Martha saw that a brass band was playing in front of the stage where a throne and various armed guards were situated.

“Vor’ag’nok’s not here yet?” Martha asked Keri quietly.

“He’s all about the pomp and circumstance…I’m sure he wants to make a grand entrance,” Keri answered sarcastically. “It gives us a perfect excuse to get closer, though…he’ll definitely want his face plastered all over the screens.” She looked down at her watch and then glanced at Martha. “Shouldn’t it be about time for you to get changed?”

“Good idea,” Martha said and ducked into a side street to activate her hologram pendant. She stepped back out again looking like a gold and brown furred female Pakhar. “How do I look?” she asked as she twirled in place.

“Your Doctor’s got good taste,” Keri joked as she prepped the camera and handed it to Martha. “Stay close and we’ll make our way around the edge of the crowd to the guard checkpoints. The press passes should get us through with no problems.”

Martha followed Keri into the crowd and they pressed their way through to the first checkpoint where guards stood by small blockades along the sidewalk. Keri flashed hers and Martha’s press badges and pointed at her as she talked to the guard. “My camerawoman and I are trying to get to the main stage, darling. Vor’ag’nok promised me an interview after the coronation, so we wanted to get close enough to get some good shot of him obtaining the seat of power and all that.”

The guard nodded and handed the badges back to them. “No problem at all, Miss, as the wife and I are big fans of your show. We watch it every night after supper.” Keri took the time to give the guard an autograph as Martha did her best to spot the Doctor in the crowd. Unfortunately, no lanky spiky haired Time Lords stood out over the furry throng. 

Where the heck are you, Doctor?

They passed the checkpoint and made their way along the sidewalk closer to the stage. When they got within fifteen feet of the stage a wall of black clad guards wielding spears prevented them from getting any closer. They proceeded to set up the camera with a tripod and waited, Martha feigning interest in the camera settings as she tried to continue searching the crowd.

I’m here, Martha. Are you O.K?

Martha smiled in relief as she hunched over the camera. We’re set up on the right hand side of the stage, ready for your close-up.

Excellent. I do believe the pieces are in place…time to play the game.

The bandleader put a hand to his ear, nodded, then cued the band to begin a new song. The music swelled and the crowd’s excitement grew as the Council came streaming up the stairs to take their places around the stage. Armored and spear wielding guards followed to take their place to either side of the throne, followed by the sunglasses wearing Peladonian that Keri and Martha identified in the videos the previous night. He carried the Diadem on a velvet pillow and stood to the side of the throne. The people’s cheers grew even louder as the crown appeared on all of the large visi-screens around the plaza, and then it reached a crescendo as Vor’ag’nok ascended the stage. He raised his outstretched hands in greeting and waved to the people as a stoic Council looked on. The crowds quieted as they saw that Vor’ag’nok was readying to speak.

“My people, thank you for such a kind welcome! It does my heart well to know that so many have come to witness this new stage in our country’s development. It saddens me though that our special guest couldn’t have stayed to enjoy it with us.”

“Oh don’t be silly, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” the Doctor exclaimed as he pocketed his key and appeared bounding up the stairs to the stage, box in hand. “I even brought you a present!” He exclaimed as he handed the box to one of the council members. “It’s not every day that one gets to overthrow an evil tyrant…well…for most people anyway,” he said as he scratched his head.

Vor’ag’nok took a step back, a stunned expression on his face. “It shames me that you would speak such treachery at the moment of our greatest success, Doctor. Guards!” He gestured and the two guards by the throne dropped their spears to grab the Doctor by both arms.

The Council began to murmur in discontent around them, and the one the Doctor had handed the box to took a step forward. “This has gone on long enough, Vor’ag’nok! First you’ve tossed our traditions to the wayside with this farce of a coronation, and now you’re trying to imprison one of the heroes of our country? Unlike you, some of us are respectful enough to remember our country’s history!” 

The Doctor grinned as the council member signaled with his hand, and the soldiers that Martha had met earlier at Keri’s house began throwing off their cloaks to reveal themselves in the crowd. They drew their swords and cheers turned to panicked screams as the citizens began running away. Vor’ag’nok’s guards around the stage brandished their spears and charged into the crowd to fight Keirst’s men, leaving the two holding the Doctor and the one holding the crown the only guards left on the stage. 

Vor’ag’nok withdrew a small remote from under his cloak. “But the party has just begun!” he yelled as he pressed the button and the balloons around the plaza began to pop, revealing a dust of flower pollen that began to drift down onto the unsuspecting crowd.

“Keri, quick; my bag!” Martha dropped the camera in alarm as she saw the pollen fall. She turned to Keri who had her bag and ripped it open to grab the cans of antihistamine. Keri stuffed multiple cans into her belt and armed herself with a can in each hand while Martha grabbed one and held her screwdriver in the other hand. With a primal scream, Keri dove into the convulsing crowd and began spraying everyone she could. Martha turned and started tossing what cans she had left to the frightened councilmen on the stage. “Hurry, you have to spray each other before the reaction starts!”

 

Screams of panic were now turning into screams of anger as the crowd began turning into snarling creatures that tore at their fur. Martha’s eyes widened in fear and she backed up the stairs to the stage. Many of the councilmen were already making their escape as they jumped off the stage and worked their way through the chaos, spraying as they went. 

The guards holding the Doctor started to convulse, and he took his cue, slipping out of their grasp and grabbing one of the guard’s hands to flip him over his shoulder and off the stage. Martha ran up behind the other one and spun him around to spray the antihistamine in his face before she pushed him off the stage to join the other one. The Doctor grinned at Martha as he pulled out his screwdriver, and Martha grinned back as she pulled out hers to face the remaining guards. 

Vor’ag’nok dropped his remote in frustration and quickly grabbed the crown off the pillow as the Peladonian dropped the pillow and pulled a blaster out of his jacket. Martha froze and the Doctor plowed into her, pushing her to the ground as the blaster sizzled overhead. The Doctor hissed harshly through his teeth as he gritted out, “Are you okay, Martha?”

Martha quickly did a mental check of herself. “Yeah,” she gasped out, slightly out of breath after the Doctor landed on her. “You?” The Doctor didn’t answer; instead he leaped off of Martha with a grunt and barreled into the Peladonian, the gun clattering off the stage. 

“You’re too late, Doctor…I shall finally achieve my kingdom that I’ve been denied for centuries!” Vor’ag’nok screamed as he lowered the crown over his head.

“No!” yelled Martha as she pushed herself up and aimed the screwdriver at Vor’ag’nok and pushed the button. 

The sonic vibrations from Martha’s screwdriver shot out to strike the crown and he grunted in pain. “No…your puny ray will not stop me…already I can feel my power growing! Come to me, my minions!” Pakhar throughout the throng suddenly seized up and started moving towards the stage.

The Doctor slugged the Peladonian in the jaw, knocking him out before aiming his own screwdriver at Vor’ag’nok. “It’s a good thing she’s not alone then,” he said as he pressed the button and his beam joined Martha’s.

“Arrgghh!” Vor’ag’nok screamed, his eyes bulging and his body shaking. The Pakhar moving towards the stage all started to scream and fall to the ground, many of them grabbing their heads as they did.

A battered but driven Keri ran up to the stage, pushing the convulsing Pakhar out of the way. “Doctor…the box!” she yelled as she pushed the Doctor’s resonance chamber across the stage to come to a stop at his feet. 

“Fantastic!” The Doctor took off the lid with his free hand. Suddenly blood began streaming from Vor’ag’nok’s nose as he fell to the ground. “Martha!” yelled the Doctor in concern, and Martha quickly ran up to him, making sure she kept her screwdriver aimed at the crown. She snatched it off his head and brought it over to the Doctor, who carefully placed it in the box and replaced the lid. He ripped off the wrapping paper and started pressing buttons on the side of the box, which locked the lid in place as the box started to hum.

The Doctor let out a huge sigh of relief as Martha’s doctor instincts kicked in and she ran to the fallen Vor’ag’nok. The chaos of the crowd began to dwindle as Keirst’s men sprayed the remaining people and medics from the hospital started to arrive. 

“Doctor…” Martha said worriedly as Vor’ag’nok’s eyes rolled up into his head and his body twitched for the last time.

“Foolish sod…” the Doctor muttered as he rubbed his shoulder and walked up to the body. “When he put the crown on after you had already hit it with the resonance wave it must have fatally damaged his brain.”

Martha sighed in resignation as she turned off her pendant and ran her hand over his face to close his eyes. She looked up to see the Doctor rubbing his shoulder and her eyes narrowed. “You’re hurt, aren’t you?”

“Nah…just a bit singed, really,” the Doctor said as his finger suddenly poked through a hole in his coat and his eyebrow shot up into his hairline. “He shot my coat…I love this coat…” he muttered forlornly. 

Martha stomped up to him and stared him in the face. “Coat. Off. Now.” 

The Doctor swallowed as he looked at Martha’s determined stare and obediently removed his coat, wincing as he moved his right shoulder. 

“I knew it…” Martha growled to herself as she helped him remove his suit coat to reveal a charred mark on his right shoulder that had burnt through his shirt as well as the meat of his shoulder. “Oh…bit more than singed, then,” he said as he witnessed the wound for the first time. 

“You…” Martha tugged on his shirt and pulled him down to his knees so she could examine his shoulder and begin treating it with the screwdriver. 

Keirst came up to the stage and sheathed his sword as he wiped blood from his cheek. “I thank you, Doctor, Doctor Jones,” he nodded to them both. “The usurper is no more, and my men and the medics from the hospital are taking care of the dispossessed as well as those effected by the pollen.”

“Do you need us to stay and help?” Martha asked as she cleansed the Doctor’s wound. The Doctor made as if to reply, but Martha’s grip on his shoulder tightened just enough for him to close his mouth again.

“We are grateful for you offer, Doctor Jones. If you could provide us with more of your spray, our doctors should be able to fashion a treatment that our entire population should benefit from. Otherwise, I think we have been fortunate; our people should be able to handle it from here.”

“I’m glad to hear not too many people were hurt,” Martha said as she finished closing the Doctor’s wound. She smiled at him and he winked at her as he got up and rotated his shoulder gingerly. 

“Should’ve put a mending function on the screwdriver,” he bemoaned as he picked up his coat and waggled his finger through the hole in the shoulder. 

“I’m just worried about mending you,” Martha replied as she hugged him, crushing his coat between them. He smiled and returned her hug, his arms wrapping around her shoulders.

Keri joined them on the stage to pick up her camera and smiled. “I’ve got to give it to you, Doctor…whenever you’re here I definitely get a good story.” The Doctor laughed as she turned to Keist. “My liege, would you like to broadcast an announcement to the people now that the danger is past? I’m sure they’d all like to know what’s been going on.”

“Indeed, Keri,” he waved to one of his men to wield the camera and gestured to Keri. “If you would do the honors?” 

Keri took a small microphone from her belt and clipped it to her fur before turning to the Doctor. “Are you going to give me an interview too by any chance?” she asked hopefully.

“I was never one for the news, Keri. I’m afraid I prefer to do my work behind the scenes.” The Doctor bent down to pick up the humming box containing the Diadem and winced as he straightened out. “Besides, I’ve got this to put into safe keeping.”

Keri looked to Martha with a questioning glance, but Martha quickly shook her head as she linked her arm through the Doctor’s. “Oh no…I’ve got a patient to take care of.” She looked up at the Doctor. “Shall we go home, Doctor Smith?”

“I believe we shall, Doctor Jones,” he replied with a grin as they walked off the stage together.

Greetings, Pakha! Many of you may be wondering what the heck just happened with the coronation of Vor’ag’nok. What was supposed to be a grand party ended up being a political power play uncovered by yours truly, involving Vor’ag’nok, the archaeologist’s team from Peladon, and one nasty piece of jewelry from our country’s past that nearly destroyed our way of life. Again. Thankfully someone honest and brave stepped up to lead the way; may I give you the true Prince Regent of Pakha, Keirst’na’toll!

Thank you, Keri. Citizens of Pakah, I greet you not as your leader, but as a concerned citizen…

The Doctor flicked off the monitor and smiled as he walked over to Martha who was resting in the Captain’s chair of the TARDIS. “Well…I think Pakha is in good hands now…what do you think?”

“Definitely,” Martha replied as she held her arms wide and grinned. The Doctor walked into her embrace with a smile and Martha wrapped her arms around his waist, his hands resting on her hips. “So…what shall we do for an encore?” she asked seductively as she looked up at the Doctor through veiled lashes.

The Doctor leaned down with a sly grin and nuzzled her neck before trailing butterfly kisses along her jaw and brushing his lips against her ear. “I think we are well deserving of the TARDIS baths after that…don’t you?”

A slight moan escaped Martha’s lips as she leaned into the Doctor. “Sounds good…” 

 

He took her hands and gently pulled her off the chair to follow him down the hallway. “Wait till you see it, Martha…” he gushed, his energetic enthusiasm for things once again showing through. “We visited Rome once many years ago, and that’s when she decided to make it. I think the TARDIS has a thing for the architecture, myself, but she won’t admit it…”

Martha just smiled, her laughter joining the Doctor’s happy rambling as it echoed down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Footnotes:
> 
>  
> 
> • Navaros Aka. Navarro is the planet of the Navarinos, tour-loving aliens from the Seventh Doctor serial Delta and the Bannermen.  
> • The Pakhar are an alien race from the planet Pakha, resembling metre-high hamsters. They were introduced in Gary Russell's Virgin New Adventures novel Legacy. The Pakhar are generally a peaceful, if rather excitable, race, and Pakha is a centre of tourism and trade for the Galactic Federation. A planetary survey describes the planet and its people as "in every sense of the word, nice", although individual Pakhar have been known to become criminals. The pollen of Earth flowers has a hallucinogenic effect on them, sometimes causing them to become violent.  
> • 4th Doctor (Tom Baker) episode “Genesis of the Daleks” is where he is faced with his task of destroying the Daleks before they evolve.


End file.
